Living in Hardship

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 921, 14 March 1930, Page 8

Living in Hardship

BUYERS OF BOOM HOUSES Grey Lynn Workers’ Plight ACCORDING to Cik J. 11. Lundon, many purchaser-tenants of the City Council's colony of workers' houses at Grey Lynn are suffering hardship as a result of their mortgage indebtedness to the council. At last evening's meeting he protested strongly against a recommendation of the Finance Committee to take action against one occupier who had fallen heavily into arrears.

The case had been set down for hearing: yesterday morning, but on application of the City solicitor was adjourned until Tuesday. The council, however, has decided to suspend action until a comprehensive report on the entire housing - colony has been made. Taking strong exception to the committee’s recommendation, Cr. Lundon claimed that the council had previously resolved that all summonses be held over until it had reported upon the entire (54 houses built under the council’ss 1924 scheme. “Why should we go ahead with a summons against this man, who is only one of many?” asked the councillor. He wanted to know why action had been taken before a full report had been made. He felt there must be something behind it. The Mayor, Mr. G. Baildon: The case has been adjourned. Cr. Lundon: But there is nothing here to say so. “I must support Cr. Lundon this time,” observed Cr. E. J. Phelan drily. “I asked that a comprehensive report be brought down on the whole question of workers’ housing. Why, then, is the committee recommending action against one when there are many in Cr. M. J. Coyle: It is a test case. Cr. Phelan: Test case nothing! To the motion of the committee chairman asking the council to adopt the recommendation, Cr. Phelan proposed an amendment that no action be taken until the committee’s issue of the report it had been asked for. It should have been supplied in view of hardships upon many occupiers, some of whom were out of work. MADE A MISTAKE Seconding, Cr. W. H. Murray said many of the original purchasers had told him they had made a mistake. The burden was too heavy and they felt they could not afford to go on. The Finance Committee had made a recent inspection and he went also. He entirely disagreed with its decision and failed to understand how it was reached. “We were introduced to one house by an inspector,” Cr. Murray continued. “The dwelling had not been occupied for a long time. “The inspector had to break down a vine before he could get to the door,” the councillor added. He appealed for a fair deal for the occupiers. The council should at the' same time safeguard ratepayers’ interests. Cr. Coyle: The recommendation is out of order. Until the committee makes a full report we cannot take action. Speaking to the amendment, Cr. Lundon charged the Mayor and Town Clerk with suppressing a letter from the occupier in question. The communication, continued Cr. Lundon, had asked the council if it intended to proceed against the man. He had received notification from the City Solicitor to that end. The council had not heard of the letter. Why, asked the councillor. He claimed to know that since the tenant concerned had written, to the council other occupiers had written to councillors also. The Mayor: They have not written to me. Cr. Lundon: I want to know why these letters have been suppressed. Cr. A. J. Entrican: No letters have been suppressed. Continuing, Cr. Lundon declared it was an astonishing state of affairs that councillors should be kept in stark ignorance of the contents of ratepayers’ letters. It had been stated oy the City Valuer, Mr. P. F. Notley, be-

fore the Assessment Court that the maximum value of any one of the houses was not more than £B4O. “Where is our public morality when we ask for payments based on a sum of £l,lOO or £1,150 for a £S4O house?” demanded the councillor.

BEGGED ON KNEES Cr. Lundon touched on cases of difficulties experienced by some of the occupants. There was, he said, a woman who, finding herself unable to meet the payments, had begged on her knees the awarding by the council a. position lor her son. He was denied the work. A railway officer and a tramway officer had written of their troubles. Had those letters come before the council, and had the men received replies, even in courtesy? They had not and Cr. Lundon thought it was a highly serious position. He had with him a list of 38 of 50 of these men who had been forced either to leave their houses or fall into arrears. The council knew nothing of the actual facts of the complaints and the councillor protested strongly against suppression in any form. “One man presented medical accounts, incurred since he had been in one of the houses, to the committee,” Cr. Lundon proceeded. “He was told the expenses were incurred before he went into the house ”

Cr. Entrican: Before he went into the house.

Cr. Lundon: That is untrue. Absolutely untrue.

Joining issue, Cr. A. J. Entrican. a member of the Finance Committee, said that the original purchasers of the Grey Lynn houses thought they were doing remarkably well —and so they were. “We know that today we are suffering from the effect of the influx of population which inspired the council to build the houses,” Cr. Entrican acknowledged. “They were built at an inflated value. What about private persons who built then? Can they get out of the difficulty as these purchasers now want to?” Cr. Entrican argued that the* Finance Committee bad full power to look after the houses and was not supposed to report comprehensively. Cr. Lundon: The sooner it is done the better. £IOO IN ARREARS Proceeding, Cr. Entrican recalled that the occupier in dispute had interviewed the committee with his grievance. He was considerably more than £IOO in arrears and had tried to get back the money he had paid off the house when told to go. “We had not much sympathy for him,” the councillor said. “We considered he was out to defeat the council. We have reduced his rates. He has not been out of work. It is entirely wrong and a gross exaggeration about these houses,” he continued warmly and concluded by observing that the council could expect nothing more from Cr. Lundon.

Cr. Lundon: Thank you. Cr. Entrican: You evidently think it is the council’s duty to keep its tenants in work.

Cr. Phelan: Why don’t you give us the report we ask for—then there would be no quarrel.

Explaining, the Town Clerk, Mr. J. S. Brigham, said no letters had been suppressed. The occupier had been notified that the case would not be gone on with on Thursday. A summons had been issued early in the year, but had been stayed by order of the council on January 30. It was a coincidence that the case happened to be adjourned until the morning of the council meeting of March 13. Cr. Phelan’s amendment was carried.