The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 1920. THE COUNTRY'S NECESSITY.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3449, 31 March 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 1920. THE COUNTRY'S NECESSITY.

With which is ivncorporated “The Taihape Post and Waimarino ' News.”

that more building is going on at the ‘present than at any previous time. Is it possible that someone has noticed a house in co-urse of erection in Taihape, and from inquiries about so unusual an occurrence hasplearned that the erection of another house is in contemplation?_ Before the general election a great fuss was made in getting to know the nature of., the shortage of housing in Taihape, tenders were actually called for building sections, ,-but after _the strain and expense of the elect_ion sections, building material and lalbour were all beyond the Governments banking account and the.housi_ng proposals and promises had to be shelved till times ‘Were better. We have regretfully [found ourselves opposed to the Sta.te_j’s course of proced-‘ure in Carrying out measures to house people in condi- : tions of common decency, and in placing the houses erected where they fwould be co-nclucive"'_ro the greatest_ lamount of good. Of‘ course there are La lot of people‘ in the cities Wanting lhouses, but is‘ that notbecause the ‘policy of the Government is draining [the country of people and herding ’them in the large centres of populaltion‘? It is not’ denied that working people are packed in the houses of !Wellington like sardines in a Frencli yfishery, but we have alwayrs contended [that it would be far more profitable to ‘the State if the drift of people off the ,land were reversed by the Govern[ment, and instead of housing the farm labourer in Vvellington, where he cannot get work, put" up accommodation lfor him in Taihape where farmers advertise for help in vain. How ridicujlous this country must figure in the [British mind; huge sums of money tare paid for advertisements in Britain, setting forth New Zealand’s great need for emigrants, particularly for farm workers and domestic servants, and yet when a farm-worker arrives, paying his own passage, and applies to the State Labour Department for work, he is coolly told there is no demand, or inquiry, for farm-workers. That disappointed farm-worker has to look for work in Wellington, accentuating Wellington’s housing problem and by drifting on to the wharf adds to the number of converts that are constantly streaming over to Bolshevism. While men are appealing for farm-work at the Wellington Labour Ofiice some farmers at Taihape are working beyond human health and strength. This very day a Wellknown successful farmer inquired of this office for farm-workers, and this old, well-to-do farmer actually went and purchased a "camping outfit and to-morrow he leaves‘ his homestead and his family to camp, and do urgently necessary difficult work on a distant part Of—'-his holding‘. This man is aware that his time is required for other work, :but land must be got into it Producing -condition, and in the absence of hired labour he must do it himself. Owing to aggregation there are numbers of houses scattered over the COUNTY, and there are even onefime well-attended schools, falling in-, to disrepair for the Want of tenants t 0 000111))’ them. Next sxrring will! bring with it a new demand for farm-l Workers; the subdivision of two large 1 95$‘-“:98 bringing -about closer settle-i ment and resultant intensiveness of;

cultivation will certainly create a demand for farm-workers, but while men wanted in the country arepbeing turne_d away in Wellington, woi-kless, land hereabout is in direst need of. them. There are ‘no ‘Surplus farm-workers in the centre of farm-work because: there are no houses in which to accommodate them. In all earnestness we appeal to Mr Massey to put in motion the Workers? Dwellings machinery in Taihape, and also urge upon the Rail-1 way Department to commence the? erection of houses for their employees, and so assist in relieving the strain, by making houses now rented by railway servants available for a more healthful spreading out of our cramped population. At this moment men in the Railway Department are advertising for houses to purchase, and we would like the Railway Authorities and the Government to realise what this means in an already indecently packed community. This journal is frequently being appealed to by people in Wellington‘, asking whether house accommodatioli is availalble, but we have not once been able to answer in the affirmative. It is most reasonable to assume that so long as farm-workers cannot live in ‘such »centres of farming activities as rTaihape, the process of production must languish. Only uninformed people will suggest that farm-workers should be engaged in Wellington by jfarmers hereabout, If a man for Lsheep is wanted; the employer is not going to take any risks ‘by employing rmen without personal interview. The 'same applies to all branches; a farm.er might soon find his fences all ‘wrong by trusting them to men whocould’nt understand why posts lifted }when the wire-strainer was put to jwork. We merely mention these things to make it plain to the Government that it is a mistake to go on ,erecting houses in cities and entirely neglecting those places where men are most needed to help in carrying on and increasing the country’s volume of production. There is -a very serious shortage of housing accommodation, and we suggest to the Authorities that population will follow the house supply. If the supply is greatest in cities people will flock there, and if houses are made available in the country the "drift of popu. lstion w'ill"'turn towards ‘land and production; "turn ‘from the already overcrowded coiiisuining communities, and jriinihe raniismr ‘produce-‘s in the ’cnuntry. Greo_.tia‘s"th'e producing pos-‘ 'sibilities of this huge district are, noZthing further can be done without increased population, and workers will not remain hereabout because they cannot find anywhere to house their families. Men are leaving in disgust for Wellington where. they say, there is a better chance to get some place to liveyin. It should be apparent that if there is to be increased production there must be increased country population. There is only one way out of the difficulty, and that is my building houses in great producing centres so long as there isany demand for-them. We know that if two hundred houses were built in.Taihape every one of them could ‘be let. _ _ Why does the Government continue a housing scheme that ~is._ disastrously draining the country population into cities‘? it‘, of course, the controlling factor is cost, and only an odd house or two is being sanctioned on that score, we ‘may cease discussing the question, for there is nothing in sight to indicate it-hat building going to be any cheaper than it is now. It is apparent TO any Close observer in this «listrict that the cause. of production and ‘the .pl‘Ogl'eSg of farming will increasillgl.V continue to suffer if some effort is Ilot made to turn back the tide from Consullliflg centres to C€l'}>tl'€S of production, and we contend this can 01113’ be eiiectually accomplished by ,DUftillg housing a.ccommodn.tion where houses are most needed in the countl'l~'z’s best interests.