HOUSES FOR WORKERS

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 245, 13 October 1917, Page 11

HOUSES FOR WORKERS

VND COST OF LIVING PROBLEM, j I I ,Bj —Parliamentary Reporter/ I WELLINGTON". Friday. ! While discussing the Public Works | statement this afternoon, Sir -John Findlay entere.i a -trong plea, for more ! 1 _enerou_ attention to the building of ' ■houses for workers. "This war.'' h* l ! j remarked, "has opened our eyes to the ' . fact that when money is wanted for a |great national purpose very little Jiiti-! ! culty is encountered in petting it, and . 1 I am jiip that tor a work of such ' | pressing importance as the building of ; hou-es for workers more than £_U>,ooo ' ! could bo got." Sir John Findlay went | en to point out tiiat this pressure was j ■the greater because of increasing rents: j and the enormous burden they imposed ion the workers, who in many ca__s were i paying rents which absorbed nearly half lof the whole income. He expressed the ! belief that if more means were devised i tor protecting the workers against the I payment of these extortionate rents, it I would ro largely to relieve rhe pressure lof the high cost of living. He knew the ' kas doing its best, consider- ! line the pressure of finance, but he believed more extensive steps should be. taken in this matter. Mr Massev :I. i_ not so much finance— , it is cost of materials. Sir John Findlay: Yes, but that in turn is expressed in finance. j Mr Massey: Rent has to be propor- j 1 tionate to the cost of building. >-:r John Findlay: Yes. hut here you 1 have one of tlie true solutions of what j is perhaps the most pressing difficulty i I to-day. and when the time conies I hope I | the Government will _ive the subject the I attention vvhi. h it, rightly demands. . i ANOTHER ASPECT. ! ; Mr Poole, in discussing the erection of I .workers' home-. declare 1 that he dared not advocate the erection of such home*! ]at Am at pri ~cnt. . I Mr 'Mover: tthv not" , | Mr. Poole: Weil, we have induced' . 'people to invest the r money and take up houses in the -übur.s. and now the Gov- . jernnn nt has cut off the suburban railway ' , services. You are not goin_- to in.lu-e other people to go out an i invest their i money in home, when vol give them .inadequate means of getting to and from j those homes. Mr. Glover: You are on a good wicket now. Mr. Poole: Yes. and by the time you I have loaded al! charges on the worker?' home you make it a difficult problem for I a worker to finance his home. (Hear. ■ hear.)