WORKERS' HOUSES.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 52, 1 March 1919, Page 14

WORKERS' HOUSES.

_______TON PROPOSALS. COUNCIL TO RAISE £20,000, (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.'HAMILTON, Friday. A scheme to borrow £20,000 to erect tvorkers' dwellings, was adopted by the Hamilton Borough Council to-night. The matter was brought up in the i form of a report by a Special Committee, which had been appointed to go into the question of providing workers' dwellings. The report stated that the committee believed a distinct obligation rested on the municipality relative to •the 'housing problem, and recommended the following proposals: —(1) That the council submit to the ratepayers a proposal to raise a loan of £20,000 for the i purpose of erecting artisans' dwellings.! (2) That the dwellings shall be erected ' on borough leaseholds in various parts | of the town. The council to give Glasgow leases of the sections, but before doing so to.erect on each a residence, the] cost of which the tenant shall repay by weekly instalments of .principal and interest, in addition to Ms ground rent, over a period of 30 years. (3) That the eyotem of repayments for the residences he made as nearly a_ possible on the principle adopted by the Government in the conduct of the scheme of workers' tomes. (4) That the dwellings shall be erected in some form of concrete or brick. (5) In-order to prevent speculation, if a purchaser of a borough dwelling- sells his home he shall have no further right to the benefits of the echeme, and in the event of a oale, onehalf of the increment shall come to the borough. (6) That at the present time the council confines itself to the erection of dwellings not larger than five rooms, and to contain, in addition, suitable bath-rooms and hot and cold water services. (7) That the architecture of the buildings be as varied as possible, but the ultimate design and specification be left to a committee to be appointed. (8) Without rigidly stating the size that the frontage of each section be as near 60ft as possible, and the ground rent be assessed at 5 per cent, on the unimproved value, (i*' That borough employees be given the first chance to acquire a dwelling, aDd in the event of it being found that the council is not empowered to let borough endowments direct to employees, either ■with or without dwellings, without first submitting the land to pubMc auction, the borough solicitor be asked to draft an amendment to the law if found necessary. The Mayor, Mr. J R. Fow, in moving that the report be adopted, said the matter had been under consideration for some time, and the committee was of opinion that something should be done at once to improve a position that was getting worse every day, and he considered they were fortunate in owning plenty of land, which they could Uue without having to buy it. Without going into details the Mayor said the proposal was briefly to erect about 32 or 34

housea in a permanent material, to save the purchaser loss by depreciation. Members agreed that the problem of shortage of houses was very acute in Hamilton, and that it was the council's duty to forward the scheme as soon as possible, as it would fill a long-felt want. A member said the only complaint he had to make against the scheme was that it did not provide for borrowing a further £10,000After further discussion the report was unanimously adopted, and the town clerk was authorised to take the ncces- | sary steps in connection with the raising of the loan.