HOUSING PROBLEM

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10288, 24 May 1919, Page 9

HOUSING PROBLEM

SUBSIDY OF £1,000,000

REQUEST TO BE MADE BY TOWNPLANNING COXFEERENCE.

The following committee report on the housing problem was presented to the Xown-planning Conference yesterday:— 1. The committee reports that there is ample evidence that a pronounced shortage of houses, numbering many thousands, exists throughout the Dominion.

I 2. That many of the existing houses are not up to a standard of civilised | comfort, a faot which iutensiiios tho acuteness of the problem. 3. Wo recommend that the Government recoguise the housing shortage as one oi pressing national necossity, and that the Government co-operate with the local authorities in carrying out housing schemes on town-pkinuing lines; that tie State undertake to finance the schemes, while leaving a reasonable degree of .initiative and subsequent full control in the hands of the municipalities. 4. That tliu Government subsidise local bodies up to one-third of the cost of approved building schemes.

b. That the Government be recommended to at once set aside the sum of £1,C00,000 as a subsidy to carry out the above resolution. 6. That the Government bo earnestly requested to undertake the building of a Garden City on the lines laid down by Air S. Hurst Seager in his paper. We are of opinion that the housing problem can be materially assisted in this way; that the prosperity of the country will bo increased; and the comfort and happiness of the worker secured. 7. That the Government should restore the pre-war railway service as early as possible. The Hon. J. T. Paul, who moved the adoption of the report, said that if the Government would set aside, say, a million of money, the housing problem might in some way be met for the time,being. "What was wanted at once was something practical.

ROOT CAUSE OF DISCONTENT. Ill's Bowden said that the term "workers' homes" should be done away with. Electricity should be available for use to a greater extent in the homes to help in the housework.

Mr R. Semple, AT.P., thought that something should bo done immediately to improve housing conditionsLandlordism was the root cause of the discontent amongst the miners, whose living conditions were extremely bad. These conferences could bo held year after year, and we would make no progress unless we grasped that point, and remedied the evil it indicated.

Air P. Fruser, Id.P., also urged the improvement of housing conditions. - The Hon. G. W. Russell said the miners should be shown how to improve their conditions by the institution .oi clubs, Sta'rr-Bowkett Societies, and so on. The miners in the State mine earned £1 3s per day—very good pay.

A voice : Out of which they have to pay for explosives. The Labour members of Parliament, Mr Russell said, had a duty to bring concrete instances of bad conditions to the notice of the Government. A large number of marriages were re ported, and he thought every marriage should mean a new house. Was it not possible that in the last ten years 01Ko we had set too high a standard regarding workers' homes,. The higher the standard of luxury demanded, the less people -would be able to get assistance, r

"COLLECTIVE ACTION THE GREAT THING."

The housing (problem was blamed by Mr C. J. Parr, M.P., as a cause of unrest in the country! Mr J. W. McEwan, Petone, thought that it was necessary for the Government to give effect to the report immediately. Mr B. J. Howard opposed the report, because he thought the committee should Lave attempted to do something for the soldiers. Mr H. Holland said that the Minister's statement regarding miners' wages was likely to be misunderstood. Out of wages the men had to buy their own explosives. In the Stato mines they made about £4 10s per week, and in the other mines the conditions wero worse. There was plenty of money in JNew Zealand with which to build the bouses, which were so much needed, and t'ho committee might have asked for £5,000,000 from the State instead of the £1,000,000 subsidy it suggested. Replying, Mr Paul said that collective action was the great thing necessary. The conference adopted the report.