MONDAY, MARCH 6, 1899 COUNTRY HOMES FOR WORKING MEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 54, 6 March 1899, Page 4

MONDAY, MARCH 6, 1899

COUNTRY HOMES FOR WORKING MEN.

Mr Bollard's scheme to provide working men with suburban homes has the double merit of attractive- ! ness and apparent feasibility. What ; labourer or artisan compelled to re* 1 side with his family in the restricted area of a four-roomed house, with no garden and only the dirty stifling1 street as a convenient promenade for himself in his scanty leisure and :i playground for his children does not appreciate the vision of a small place of his own in the country where he can raise'his own vegetables, keep his own cow, and he and his can breathe the pure air of the fields? It is quite true that many of our most industrious and fortunate artisans and others have secured comfortable homes for themselves in the suburbs, and are exempt from the disagreeable conditions their less privileged brethren have to put up with; and it is equally the | case that the tenements of our working classes here are on the average, infinitely superior to the accommodation the same classes are provided with in the Old Country. But the fact, si ill remains that there is a very large number of working men who are not. so well housed as (hey ought to be and as they might easily be in a young city like this where there is so ■ much unoccupitci land n^> distance from the centre of work. If anyone feels disposed to question the necessity for improvement in this matter, before doing so he.should pay a visit to the mo;- closely populated portions of Auckland, and then we think he will change his mind. Mr Bollard in his address last week instanced the south ward of the city as a place where the tenements of the working classes were crowded together in such a way as to court typhoid. But even if we ignore the immediate risk of virvlent fever from the insanitary condition of these localities they stand sufficiently condemned by reason of then- singular inconvenience arid unsight'liness, and the wretched accommodation they afford for the montty as compared with what might under other conditions be obtained. How infinitely better for the city as a whole and for those who now inhabit these districts would it be if the congested population were dispensed over a, suburban area where they would have plenty of breathing i.pace. '.n other parts of the world this question of the better housing of the working classes in suburban areas lias been under discussion, and schemes have been formulated and I fviveu effect to with success.. As cbm-v j pared with most places where such

experiments have been tried we hero enjoy unrivalled advantages for making them. Within a short distance ci'the city there are large quantities of land to be had at a comparatively low figure, and the facilities for conveyance to and from the town if not now perfect could easily be made so, |Mi- Bollard mentions Avondaie and Henderson on the one hand and jNorihcote and Birkenhead on the I other as localities that would answer all the purposes of his scheme. In the one case there is the existing railway communication with Auckland; In the.other there is a splendid water way between the town and the proposed homes. So far as the quality of the land is concerned there is little to choose between the two localities. In neither place is the soil first or even second class as it stands. JJut os Mr Bollard who is himself a practical agriculturalist points out, pood land is a minor consideration. What is wanted is land near to town: the tillage which the workmen should be able to give to their respective sections will soon bring it into good heart, ff we were to choose between Henderson and Birkenhead as a .site for working men's homes we should give ihe preference to the latter on the score that the settlement of that part of the harbour would not only more speedily redound to the beautiSention and profit of the city than nett lenient in the Henderson direction would, but also because it would be more convenient for the workmen themselves, and ultimately more profitable for them. We agree with Mr Bollard that most of the advantages associated with his scheme would be. lost, if as was suggested at the meeting Surrey Hills were chosen in preference to more rural districts. The amount of land which Mr 801-, lard proposes should constitute a section, seven acres, could scarcely bo. got in Surrey Hills on terms that would make the investment a possible one for most working men. One of the chief charms of the scheme in our eyes, is its rural aspects, and we think it should appeal to workmen on Ihe same ground. That it will do so to many we feel sure, although |\vo believe'with Mr Bollard that it would take a team of horses to draw tome people away from town. • Briefly put, Mr Bollard's proposal is to allot to every workman seven acres of land more or less on an average within a mile and a half at the most of rail or steamer. The land would cost about £50, and the necessary dwelling accommodation about £300. The total yearly cost of such a hoir.t. estimating money at ;" percent., would thus be £7 10/. But 'to this his to be added certain extras, to wli rates, insurance, and the annual cost to each man of travelling bet.veeu home and his work. Mr Bollard puts these expenses down at &1 id,' for rates and insurance, and .(:.«/ lor the train or steamer journeys.. The latter item is probably not staled too low. though it may appear to seme people that it is. In the case of the train carriage the Minister for Railways has promised to make special concession to workmen settling in the country, and the steamer company's present scale of charges warrant's the presumption that five pounds would quite cover their de-mr.-ids. jln all the total annual expenditure incurred would be £14 or 3/e a week, surely a snir.ll sum comoiareti with what our workmen now ffive for house accommodation without the ruormous advantages the eotiuIry home offers. Probably few of the class intended to be benefited have the capital necessary J.o secure such n home, but the great feature in Mr Bollard's scheme is that the Government should advance the money and charge one shilling a week as a sinkin./ fund. By this arrangement the workmen would be able to pay off the whole debt in 30} years and have tl-e land for themselves nnd heirs. Viewing the scheme quite impartially it has a very great deal to commend it Of course there are several important factors that are required for its success beyond the mere obtainin r» of the land and money. One Ot these is that the settlers should be ot ~' wod class, and another that they should be men with a fair prospect of being' able to obtain constant employment at i/o great distance from . ], P "ir homes, 'ft is desirable that the experiment should prove successful in the first instance, and consequently it siiouM be made under the most favourable auspices.

The • Supreme Court criminal sessions were opened to-day. The judge in his charge to the grand, jury referred to several important coses any questions a.^J ..}.'. r.otably the increase of erlnvn against wtuoen, U.e alle-ed fink' of arnn to-native.!, etc. Our report will be found on pap," *• Several items of news and a number of letters to the editor will be found on page G of this issue. The Deputy Registrar of the, Auckland Old Age Pensions District, re. quests us to invite all those aged and infirm or poor people who were in receipt of rations or extras of any kind from the Auckland Charitable Aid Bo.arrcl, and who were so suddenly and unexpectedly deprived of such for this month to either call at his- office or communicate with him. Ihe request applies to every person who has been awarded a pension certificate m any part, of the Eden County, ana which will be payable during the next or following months. vt the Police Court this morning, before Mr T. Hutchison, S.M., William Parker a youth employed at an Ellerslie stable, pleaded guilty to assaulting- Alfred Pickrell, licensee of the Ellerslie Hotel. Mr Cooper, who appeared for the prosecution, said the defendant had previously been warned and refused admittance. On this occasion, when ordered to leave, the defendant used opprobious language, I and then struck complainant in the face. Mr Cooper asked for substantial sureties for keeping the peace in future. His Worship ordered the defendant to enter into a bond, himself in £20, and two sureties in £10 each, to keep the peace for 6 months. Geo. Mcar, convicted of vagrancy some days ago, and remanded in order to ' have a chance to get work at Gisborne, again appeared, having been re-arrest-ed on Friday night. Mr Lundon, who i appeared for the defence, called evij denee to show that accused was away on Friday in a fishing boat, having got work with a fisherman named Patterson. On the strength of this statement His Worship adjourned the case for a month. James Murray, charged ! with failing to comply with the eon'.ditions of his release under the First Offenders Probation Act, was d.isI charged. James Daniels was fined 5/ i for drunkenness, and three first ofj fenders were let off with a caution.

Yesterday morningl the Auckland, Ponsonby. 'and Devonport Xavals held a church parade, the Anglican portion of the companies attending St. Sepulchre's Cimi'di and the others St. .Benedict's. At St. Sepulchre's the Rev. J. Campbell gave a" suitable address to the volunteers, taking as his text the verse 'Blessed be the Lord, my I strength, who teaeheth my hands to I war and my fingers to fight.' Our Hamilton correspondent wires —At the Hamilton Auction Mart on Saturday the privileges in connection with the South Auckland Meeting and Xgaruawahia'Kegatta were sold. For the Scuth Auckland gathering the grand-stand bar was bought by P. Le Quesne for EaO, the luncheonrconi. .1. Bettley £5; temperance booth. .1. T. Home, £3 13/; cards, 'Waikato Argus," £6 10/; gates, W. Adams (Auckland). £33; horse paddock. H. Kelly, £.2 10/. Regatta privileges: Publican's booth, 11. Spencer, £1*0; Xo. 1 booth. J. Bettley. £7; So. 2 booth. T. Hill. £7 10/. At Rotorua, the Native Land Court, before ."Judge Johnson, is dealing with the Jiotomahnna-Farekarangi Block, ! No. GA, section 2, containing 6,910 I acres-. The decision has not yet been igiven in the Mangorewa-Kaharoa No. 16 Block, which contains 26.909 acres. I The Crown claims 1:2.000 acres in the j neighbourhood of the famed Hamui rana Spring. j At the Harbour Board Meeting on I Tuesday nexfX'r Withefcrd will move, ' 'That the Foreman of Works be inj structed to prepare an estimate of j cost for ferry jetty at the Sugar Co.'s wharf/at Chelsea.' Mr Brabant. S.M., gave judgment at the Magistrate's Court on Friday i afternoon in the civil case Mitchell v. Crawford and Jennings, claim £9 2s 6d for damages in with v collision. His Worship decided that Jennings, who was driving- a sulky owned by plaintiff, was solely to blame for the collision between the sulky and Crawford's 'bus, and judgment.for the full amount was accordingly given against Jennings. In the proceedings against Thomas Crawford, judgment was for defendant, with | costs. Dr. Laishley appeared for Mitchell and Mr Mahony for the defendant Crawford. The funeral of the late Mrs Donald I Clow took place at Papakura Presbyterian cemetery on Saturday, and was very largely "attended by the numerous relatives of the deceased and the settlers of the surrounding i districts. The Isev. T. Norrie was the officiating minister. The eighth race of the season of j the Auckland Homing Society (juniors' j squealers) took place on Saturday from Paeroa, about 70 miles, for a pEiir of young birds, Cotes' strain, value two guineas, presented by V.r S. j Howie', finishing in the following j order, viz., Master 11. Crawford's bins j chequer cock (one bird only), first, I 2hrs ISmin; Master W. Seuvaftt's blue.! chequer cock, second. 2hrs 22mm: and | blue hen. third, 2hrs 22'min. Much | better time was done during their I training. The next race (seniors' i squealers) is from Morrinsville. One of the exhibits at the Auckland. Industrial and Mining Exhibition | which has escaped mention is the 'silver coin cheese,' manufactured by Mr 11. l.iorzell. a new arrival from Italy. The judges spoke very highly of this exhibit, as did also everybody who tasted it. It is Mr Borzell's intention to introduce the manufacture of this cheese, and it should prove at valuable addition to the dairy products of this colony. The following tenders for the Coroniandel Wharf Road extension have been dealt with by the Board of Works:—W. McShe'ffrey. £677 5/ (accepted); W. H. Binsted, £733 5/0; It. C. Hooper, £765; J. McCawley, £808; W. McQuoid. £698 10/; Fenley and Leahy, £523 19/; It. Campbell, £C9O; John Lawson, £900; Alex. Watson, £900. Main road to Thames from Coromandel: The tender of 11. If. Plummer, £S6, was accepted for section No. .">, and the tender of C. Erockway. £18 16/, was accepted for section No. 6, and the tender of Morgan and Thompson. £107, for section No. 7—all on th^* Manaia-Waikawaii Road. A somewhat important case came before the Stipendiary Magistrate at Wellington on Friday last. A settler named Barton sued Collier, the dairy inspector, for £10 damages, the value of a cow, which defendant orjdered to be destroyed. The point raised was that Collier was not the inspector appointed under the Act for the purpose, though he asserted he was, and also that he was not responsible for the destruction of the aimal. The man who shot the cow said he was ordered to do so by Collier. The Stipendiary Magistrate held the defendant was not appointed for the purpose, and it would not do for irresponsible persons to go about destroying stock. He gave a verdict for £4. There was the record attendance at Mr Fuller's Melbourne Waxworks on Saturday night, many being unable to obtain admission. The gold watch lin the beauty show was won by Miss Eva Nicholson, the audience unanimously selecting her from the eight competitors. Mr Ben Fuller appeared during the evening, and, on behalf of Mr John Fuller, thanked the Auckland public for the way they had supported his efforts to amuse them during the past fourteen weeks, and expressed a hope that when he returned from London with a new and bigger show he would meet with the same success as during the season now terminated. Mr Ben Fuller left for Dunedin by the Tiotoiti, the company following- by the Elingamite. As will be seen by reference, to advertisement elsewhere tlie Westport Coal Company (Limited) have opened a retail yard in Fort street, and are now in a position to supply their famous Coalbrookdale coal in any quantities either wholesale or retail. The name of this coal is now a household word. The captain of the . Italian warship Etna, in an interview, stated it was the best coal he had ever used. The residents of Auckland are now able to purchase this coal direct from the company. • The public are reminded of the auction sale on Wednesday, at Mrs N. E. Burton's residence, Surrey Crescent. Arch Hill, when the whole of her new household furnishings and walnut piano will be-sild. Messrs Gabriel Lewis and Co. are the auctioneers. Harmston's circus concluded their season on Saturday before a. large audience. The tent was soon taken down and a start was made for the Waikato, where performances will be given in leading districts. On the 24th. March the circus re-opens in Auckland, when the proceeds will be given to the ;Sir George Grey' Statue Fund. A jumping competition will take place on the 25th.

Mr F. Meadow?, who so snccessf ill > mana-ed the Auckland Exhibition, returns to Christeluu-ch in about I three weeks' time. j The various exhibits at the Exhibition are beinff quickly taken away. Tenders sent In for the purchase of the building have been deferred, pending a reply from the Government, who propose purchasing the whole for the erection of drill-sheds. A meeting- of the executive will be held to - morrow Might, when the whole matter will no douot be brought ripThere was on view on Saturday m the studio of Mr C. Hemns a large shield containing photographs ot the Xortli Shore 'Chummery,' personal friends of the late Mr (J. "^ ™i; e>" ™; jto be presented to Mr and Mrs Hall ! as v token of sympathy and respect. |Mr Tracer Hall's photograph is in the centre, and is surrounded by the 'Chummery.' twenty-two in number. The shield, which is an artistic and creditable production, was presented to-day. A lecture entitled 'Evolution and Reincarnation" was delivered at the Theosophieal Society's Rooms. Mutual Life Buildings, last evening, by Mrs j Richmond, president of the Welling- j ton branch of the Theor-ophical Soeietv. There was a crowded audience. The'visual discussion followed the lecture. The Primitive Methodist Church in j Alexander street was crowded to the ! ! doors last evening to hear the Lev. j C E. Ward's farewell sermon. Mr Ward urged that there was a dose connection between righteousness and exaltation, or conversely between unrighteousness and the degradation ot a "people: that it was an indisputable j fact that a. robust Christianity was the ! grandest lever for lifting up a people I to higher and yet higher places. Mr j Ward" was listened to with attention I and interest. A farewell meeting will be held this evening at 7.30 at Alexandra street. Mr D. Goklie will preside. The usual Sunday evening evangelistic service was held last evening at the Opera House. Mr Smyth presided.. The Rev. H. A. Laphan, mis- j sionarj from Ceylon, delivered an ad- j dress on -Temptation.' Miss Rimmer sang two sacred solos. It is notified by advertisement in an- ! other column that the schooner CroyI don Lass will sail for Norfolk Island on Thursday next. { Tn another column Mr R. B. Lusk, j better known to all athletes and foot- j bailer:; as 'Bob' Lusk, announces by i a busienss card that he has started the j ! practice of his profession as a barrister and solicitor in Auckland. For several years past Mr Lusk has been ! gaining valuable experience in Syd- | ney. where he was with the foremost ! firm, in Taranaki, where he practised j for himself, and lately in Auckland, where he was for some time assisting iMr Parr. He has now taken ui> ofifices at ~S. Shortland street, j Cullen's stock—Dresses, 1/11. 2/11, | 3/11; lace trimmed knickers and ! chemises. 1/6, 2/3. —D. Slaepherson, wrong side Kai-angahape Road, Tuesday.—(Advf.) Cash Sale.—Our great sale is orer, : and a grand success it was; but we ; sttll have plenty of new goods, just! to hand to show you, if you will pay • us a visit, if only for inspection.— Tonson Garlick Co., Ltd.—(Ad.) Don't mistake the address. Others use our name, but .Cullen's Queen street stock can only be had at D. Macpherson's. wrong side of Karangahape Road. —(Advt.) Soiled quilts a regular bargain, soiled blankets half their value; calico, 1/11 doz; flannelette, 2/6 doz; prints, 1/0, 1/0, 1/11 dress.—Macpherson's sale Cullen's stock.—(Advt.) Cullen's stock— : wool knit sox, Sd; knit pants, 1/0; men's trousers. 4/11; ties, 2cl, 3d, 4d. —D. Macpherson, wrong side Karangaliape Road, Tuesday.—(Advt.)