HOUSING CONDITIONS

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20256, 27 July 1937, Page 8

HOUSING CONDITIONS

COUNCILLOR’S STRICTURES. “LITTLE BETTER THAN KENNELS.” DISTURBS COLLEAQUE’S SERENITY (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday. After congratulatory references to the City Council’s staff on the efficient manner in which the housing survey had been carried out, and after several councillors had expressed their gratification at the information disclosed by the survey, Mr J. S. Barnett seriously disturbed the serenity of the City Council last evening by his outspoken references to conditions under which some people lived in Christchurch. "Little better than dog kennels,” was his description of their quarters.

Commenting on the report on the survey tabled by the chief inspector. Mr Barnett said that councillors would be living in a fool’s paradise if they allowed the idea to go out that Christchurch was free from any unhealthy or unwholesome areas. “I am hoping that the council will do something lo remedy the unwholesome defects in our housing svstem,” he said.

As an example of the condilions to which he referred, Mr Barnett quoted a property with a capital value of £12,675 and an annual rental of £2754, or 21 per cent., which was extracted from 106 occupants, who occupied 99 dwelling unils. If this property were demolished, he added, a very considerable number of deserving poor would be thrown on to the street. The Mayor (Mr J. W. Beanland), said he rather regretted that as the result of Mr Barnett’s remarks it should go abroad that there were terrible places in Christchurch. The position was, to some extent satisfactory as disclosed by the figures. "Of course we have these places as mentioned by Mr Barnett and I feel as he does about them” the Mayor added. "I have thought that the houses built by the Government are too expensive for poorer people, and I am glad to hear that it is intended to make provision for old age pensioners. Christchurch as a whole will stand up to the rest of New Zealand as far as the standard of its homes is concerned.”