SLUM CLEARANCE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 230, 28 September 1943, Page 2

SLUM CLEARANCE

NEED IN WELLINGTON

BUSINESS MENS' INTEREST (0.C.) WELLINGTON, this day. "People should not have to live in bad housing conditions in a country like New Zealand," said Mr. W. H. Hindle, president, at a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. Some years ago the City Council had made a survey which disclosed the existence of slum conditions in some parts of Wellington. Unfortunately little seemed to have been done to remedy this state of affairs, largely because of the war diverting energy and attention to other matters of greater immediate importance. "The clearing of slum areas is something that should be tackled at the earliest possible moment, and it may be possible for this chamber to assist," the president added. Mr. M. Luckie described the peculiar problem facing Wellington. The trouble went back, he said, to the time when the city was first planned in London and divided into 1100 blocks measuring two chains frontage and five chains in depth. This was done as though the whole area consisted of flat land. 5 Moreover, the blocks were back to back on the plan and this necessitated many alleys and rights-of-way to give access to the sections. "Gradually small houses were built in these alleys, and that was how Wellington's slum areas were started," he said. The meeting decided to interview the Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, to see if, and in what way, the Chamber of Commerce might assist the City Council in this matter, which so vitally affected the health and wellbeing of citizens.