THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1907. WORKERS' DWELLINGS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8437, 8 May 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1907. WORKERS' DWELLINGS.

In view of the meeting to be held on Friday night next, when the advisability of establishing workers' dwellings in Masterton, under the provisions of the Workers' Dwellings Act will be discussed, the time is opportune to refer to some of the clauses of that Act. The object of the Act is certainly to encourage poor but thrifty people to acquire homes of their own—to promote town settlement in a manner corresponding somewhat with the efforts that have been made in the way of settling very limited means upon rural lands. In every community of any size, even in New Zealand, there are a certain number of people who, from one cause and another/, are, practically, unable, try how they may, to secure homes of their own. The number of such people appears to be rapidly increasing. Just recently we have read the "slum controversy" between the Trades Councils of Dunedin and Wellington, and we have read' the statement—which,'however, cannot be considered as being in accordance with fact—that there are slums in Wellington as bad as any in London. The obvious moral, however, that should be drawn from the congested portions of our .larger centres is that an enlightened, progressive, and humane Government should make every effort

to do away with the slums at present! in existence, and to prevent anything j of a similar kind arising in rapidly | growing towns, of which there are a number in the colony. To succeed in such an object, it is evident that the poorer toilers must be assisted, and this is evidently the opinion of the Government, otherwise the Workers' Dwellings, Act must have been placed without any object whatever upon the Statute Book. But to refer to the provisions of the Act—a worker is l defined as "every person, male or female, who is employed in i work of any kind, or in manual labour, and who, at the time of his application, is not in receipt of more than one hundred and fifty-six pounds per annum." Each applicant has to satisfy the Land Board that he is a worker and landless (meaning thereby that at the date of his application he is not, either by himself or jointly with any other person, the owner in fee simple, or the tenant, or occupier under a lease of any land). The Minister for Labour has power to erect dwellings up to the value of £350 if constructed of wood, and £4OO if constructed of brick, stone, or concrete. The area of land on which each worker's dwelling may be erected shall not exceed half an acre in the case of ui'ban allotments, or one acre in the case of suburban allotments, or five acres in the case of rural allotments. Every worker may acquire the freehold in feesimple of his worker's dwelling by payment in cash of the capital value thereof at any time not less than twenty-five years from the date of his lease, by monthly payments over a period of thirty-two years, by monthly payments over a period of forty-one years, or by an insurance on his life. The particulars of the different modes ,are, of course, fully set out in the Act. It may be of interest to mention that the lessees of tbe workers' dwellings would be under the jurisdiction of the Land Board, but the Ilinister may at any time that- he thinks fit' vest the management and control in the local authority within whose jurisdiction any workers' dwellings are situate; provided the local authority declares its willingness to undertake the management and control of such dwellings. We have heard it said that such dwellings are "State-aided" homes, but so far from there being any stigma in a worker acquiring a home under the Act, it is an honour to the thrifty toiler, who "carves out" a home for himself and his family, whether it be in the bush or in the town. The Liberal government have passed a great • deal 5 of progressive legislation, but they have displayed, in more than one ' instance, somewhat poor energy and ability in bringing their laws into general operation. The presenjt movement in Masterton, if it results ' in nothing else, may to some extent show how far the Government are willing to take action under the , Workers' Dwellings-Act. In Masterton, alone, an expenditure adequate to meet thg demand would, probably, amount to somewhere about £15,000.