MUNICIPAL HOUSING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 154, 30 June 1911, Page 3

MUNICIPAL HOUSING.

prfTICUI/nES AND SUGGESTIONS.

fljry COUNCIL RESOLVES TO TRY AGAIN.

Tie following recommendations were .übmitted by the Housing Committee to the City Council last night, after an investigation which had been instituted ftro years ago: — (1) Workers' Dwellings.—ln view of [eolation passed at last session of Paraffording the fullest facilities for the deserving and thrifty workers to acquire homes without taking upon themselves too great a burden, and offerjnir greater inducements than -would be jn°the power of the Council to give, this side of the question is in the opinion of the Committee already fully met. (2) Homes for the Deserving Poor. — i.g the burden of keeping homes for this section of the public is already laid upon the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, which is put to gvi-.-it annual expense for this purpose, and as the persons in question are not merely inhabitants of the city, hut also of the suburban districts, the Charitable Aid Board should be invested with sufficient power by legislation to expend portion of its funds in erecting suitable houses for this class, towards the cost of which the amount sow spent .by the Board in paying house rents would go a long way in paying interest on the capital necessary for providing such houses. Mr. Read thought that a mutual arrangement might be arrived at between 'the Government and Civic authorities. Something would have to be done, as the overcrowding of workers in Auckland was reaching an awte stage; jHe thought that a committee should be set op to deal with this question, which in his opinion was an urgent one, and he moved in that direction.

Mr. J. S. Dickson seconded the moCon. Mr. P. J. Nerheny asked why not set aside £8000 or £10,000 year by year for the purpose of building workers' •homes? In his opinion such an expenditure would be far more in the interest of the workers than spending money on parks which the workers seldom had time to visit. Let them vote £10,000 or £12,000 a year for the purpose, and a great and wise work would be started.

Mr. B. T. Michaels was opposed to Setting up another special committee, for the last one had after two years of deliberation submitted an unfavourable report. Let the matter be referred to the Endowments Committee.

The Housing Committee did a good deal of work, but what was the good of talking about housing workmen, if there ■was no money wherewith to buy land or houses? The matter was certainly one that wanted attention, but he thought the proper committee to entrust with the matter would be the Endowment Committee.

The Mayor expressed the opinion that the question was certainly one that should not ibe dropped. If the ratepayers would give the city the money to go into the question in a practical way, well and good, and meanwhile he thought it a good idea to refer the matter to the Endowment Committee, who might discover some good scheme by which the question could be satisfactorily grappled with.

Mr. Court pointed out, amid some laughter, that one of the last acts of Mr. Kidd as Mayor was tcTpaWa. resolution to erect workmen's fromesT" A. , few months later he stood for Parliament, and their later Mayor, Mr. Myers, who bad interested himself in the question, ihad also gone to Parliament.; He hoped Mr. Parr would not be deserting them in a similar way while the scheme was still in an emhryonio stage. The matter was ultimately referred to the Endowment Committee, with instructions to report within three months.