The Daily News. MONDAY, JUNE 2, 1918. HOUSING SCHEMES.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 June 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, JUNE 2, 1918. HOUSING SCHEMES.

The brief report made to the New Plymouth Borough Ccuncil on Wednesday by the Mayor and Town Clerk on the proceedings at the Town Planning Conference is a welcome contribution towards the solution of a problem of the utmost importance to the wellbeing of the community. It is worthy of note that the Conference came to the inevitable conclusion that the question was a national one; that it was -urgent, and that co-operation between local bodies and the Government was essential to remedy the existing evils. The dominant factor iu coping with the problem is finance, and if the Government will realise its responsibility and duty in this direction the local bodies may be relied upon to do the remainder. The Minister for Internal Affairs has promised to place the recommendations of the Conference before Cabinet as a matter of urgency, so that in view of possible action it was a wise move on the part of the Borough Council to appoint a committee to submit proposals for building a number of houses for borough employees as a first step towards inaugurating a comprehensive scheme for workers' homes. It is also gratifying to note that the question of providing open spaces and playgrounds for children is to receive practical attention, and as this important proposal forms part of the business of town planning it is to be hoped that the Council will not adopt any haphazard system, but will co-ordinate the playgrounds scheme with, that of house-build-ing so that wherever the .homes are built the- essential? of towa beautifying shall be kept in view. At the same tiiae it is advisable to utilise to the. utmost the principle of providing- throughout the borough open spaces for the recreation of the children. It will be necessary to make provision for the planting of these spaces so as Jo provide shelter, also for keeping

them neat and well trimmed, but in this the people "will probably be willing to render what assistance is required. So long as good value is obtained for the outlay involved the cost should be a secondary consideration, for there is no question that as an asset to the town these open spaces will be of great value. It would seem, however, that before any definite steps are taken in this direction it would be advisable to form a town planning association in New Plymouth so as to bring about a complete scheme that will make the town one of the most popular seaside resorts in the Dominion. In an exceptionally well-thought out paper read at the Town Planning Conference, Dr. Frengley. Deputy Chief Health Officer, said that no object save the conservation of the people's health could make town planning at all worth while, but he admitted that if the movement desired to attract public support it would have to make prominent the more aesthetic features of town planning in order to appeal to "illogical human nature." He inveighed against standardising dwelling houses as being monotonous and depressing, also against the state of affairs whereby the high price of land in the cities and towns drove the poorer classes t > home sites of a deplorable character. The relation between lious ing and industrial unrest has been prominently brought before the public in Britain owing to the revelations inspired by Mr R. Smillie concerning the hovels in which some of the miners dwell, and it may almost be taken as an axioi* that the worse the housing conditions of any given class of workers, the more liable is that class to cause industrial trouble. There is a vast gulf between the garden cities and the miners' hovels, but there is a middle course whereby cottages of neat and varied design can be provided at a reasonable cost in normal times, and it is such homes as these, with all sanitary requisites that the borough council should provide, thus giving a iead in house-building that will be an example to others. We have a right to expect that the Govemment should take a leading parr, in this movement for more attractive dwellings and efficient sanito tion. Nothing eould be more depressing than the dreary stereotyped cottages for railwaymen—an eyesore to any progressive community. It is being realised by the foremost industrial experts nil the world over that the conditions under which an employee spends his time when he is not working are as important from the view of efficiency as those which he works. New Zealand possesses exceptional advantages for instituting a sweeping reform in the direction of better homes, and there is no portion of the Dominion where such a reform would be productive of better results than in New Plymouth. We look to the State to foster this movement and to assist the public bodies with finance and guidance; also to encourage, In a practical way, every mail to acquire his own home. It is the settled men who make for industrial efficiency and peace, while the birds cf passage make for trouble. G'-e.at strides are being taken- to improve the mental and physical faculties of the young, and it is only fair and just that improvements in homr life and surroundings should keep pace with those of the body and the mind. New Plymouth has a great opportunity, and we hope to see it utilised thoroughly and intelligently with as little delay as possible. For tthe practical step already taken, tae Mayor deserve.* commendation. I