The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. FRIDAY, MARCH 31. 1916. A TAIHAPE HOUSE FAMINE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 78, 31 March 1916, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31. 1916. A TAIHAPE HOUSE FAMINE.

(With which is incorporated The Tai bape Post and Waimarino News.)

Taihape is suffering from a house famine. It seems rather an extraordinary position to he in, but it is fact, nevertheless, that newcomers have loft the town because there was no possibility of getting a home to put their families into. Odd instances of the kind have come under notice at various times, but recently the demand for houses has quite outdistanced the supply, and now those with the necessary capital have to consider whether the town is to remain [stationary and stagnate; whether its young, virile, rapid growth is to be checked and stunted, or whether it is to be given the conditions for quickly blossoming out from a sturdy youth into all the vigour and proportions of an up-to-date city’s manhood. [We regard men like Mr. J. P. Aldridge as real benefactors of their fellow townsmen. Mr. Aldridge decided several

months ago to erect fourteen houses on his property, away down Moa street, an<j he met with the extraordin- ■ ary experience of having most of them let before even the piles on which they were to be erected were in position, and it is beyond denial that he could have found tenants for twice the number of houses. Every day men and Avomen come to this

office enquiring for liouses; we hav§ men in our employ separated from their families because houses are unprocurable; they rightly say ■it is waste iof time and money advertising for a house because disappointment is all but certain. This i s a condition that oui public men should endeavour to remedy at all costs; room should be found for everyone who is tempted in anyway to settle amongst us,’for it is obvious that business cannot grow, institutions cannot progress, public facilities and conveniences cannot be extended if the natural

growth of the town is stopped for want of house room. What are we going to do? The Chamber of Commerce might discuss the subject, but beyond realising the parlousness of the situation it seems that its members, collectively can do very litt'e. It is indeed unfortunate for Taihape that war conditions have interfered with the flow of Government loans to settlers, because what we now r -ompl°ir« of is a real and serious matter. Daily, this journal has to frankly advise househunters that it is no use spending their money in advertising for houses because there is ‘the utmost probabilitiy they will get no reply. Still some of them who have

responsible positions do advertise, but we do not remember one successful case. Our columns will find anything that i s lost, except sheep dogs, (and we are inclined' to the belief that losers of such would do better to go to the police than the newspaper) but we cannot secure that which has no material existence. Will some of our monied townsmen be loyal and patriotic enough to their town and erect a hundred or so buildings suitable for workmen and their families to live in? Mr. Aldridge’s experience is sufficient demonstration that their money would b e well invested. The only other alternative is to approach our very active Representative in Parliament and prevail upon him to exercise his well-known suasive powers with the Government, with a view to having the monetary tap turned on to the town for the purpose of building nothing but what are required purely as workmen’s homes. While war is upon us we hesitate to propose such a course, but we believe that Taihape is an extreme, outstanding case of house famine.