FARM HOUSING

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22851, 26 October 1939, Page 7

FARM HOUSING

MORE PROVISION

SOUGHT

POSITION IN CANTERBURY

districts

Difficulties faced by farmers in providing accommodation for sons who wished to marry, or for married employees, were discussed yesterday by the North Canterbury district executive of the New Zealand Farmers Union. Reports were given of shortages of accommodation in all parts oi the district, and it was stated that almost everywhere more accommodation would be welcomed. . In two districts, however, it was stated that the position was not a shortage of houses but of men. There were more houses than men. One [« an ; J al “ Mr A M. Carpenter, had said) Wny should I go out on a farm for 16s a day when I can get 18s 3d a day working right here for the borough council?—and I haven’t seen the boss for W The" building of houses for farmers’ sons who wished to marry was a serious one, said Mr J. E. H. McGrath. A number of farmers wished to bund homes for their sons, but lacked the money. A consequence was that many farmers’ sons left the farms. “No Government Houses” Mr R. G. Bishop agreed, and added that a big source of housing trouble in some country towns was a lack of Government houses. In -Southbridge, for instance, many civil servants were employed: but there were only two Government houses. If the houses now occupied by Government employees were to be released, there would be much more accommodation for casual farm labour. . ~ . , Almost every member at the table spoke, and the views they gave of the farm housing situation in every case but two disclosed that the provision of quarters for married men was a big problem. Farmers would l 1° employ married men, but lacked the finance to build the necessary quarters. Some, too, had difficulty in providing quarters for single men. Reference was made to the Rural Housing Act, under which county councils woujd be empowered to lend the'money for building farm accommodation. It was m the small country townships that the shortage of accommodation was most marked. ■

In some places it was said there was so little accommodation _ that school teachers travelled big distances from their schools to their places of accommodation. In Southbridge, for instane, there were teachers who travelled 31 miles each day. ... There was no resolution, it being agreed that the president (Mr I. L. M. Coop) should havd the position discussed at the next meeting of the district committee set up under the National Council of Primary Productinn.