HOMES FOR CITY PENSIONERS

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23132, 23 September 1940, Page 10

HOMES FOR CITY PENSIONERS

. ♦ COMMENDATION FROM HON. W. NASH

Warm commendation of the Christchurch City Council’s housing scheme for aged pensioners was expressed by the Minister for Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, after a visit to two of the settlements on Saturday morning. He said without hesitation that he would be only too pleased to facilitate the application if the council went ahead with its proposal to raise another £25,000 loan to extend the scheme. The Minister, who was accompanied by the Mayor, Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P., and the Deputy-Mayor, Mr J. S. Barnett, was warmly received by the old people living-in the cottages. He met most of them-personally, hearing them express the keenest appreciation of what the’ council had done to make their old age more comfortable. As did all the old people he talked to,’ Mr Nash paid particular tribute’to the interest Mr Barnett had taken In developing the scheme. “It is one of the best-thought-out schemes I have ever,seen,” Mr Nash said- after his . visit. “The test of a good scheme is the pleasure and happiness it brings to those for whom it is" organised, and on that test you could not have a better’ mohunjent than what we saw to-day. I have.never seen so much joy among pld people, in- such a short time,- : as we -saw in those ; council; cottages. The - conception

of the scheme is good, the design excellent, and the space is not overdone, yet every facility is given for the best of home life.” In conjunction with payment from social security benefits, it obviously seemed (hat the rents chaiged were within the means of the occupants, the Minister added, and left a balance to provide every necessity for normal home life. A feature of the Willard street block was that every cottage had a share of a garden as good, in its way, as that needed for any mansion. Mr Nash added that the spontaneity of the welcome given him at both settlements was well worth while, and he .did not think he had got as much pleasure out of a morning’s work in the last 10 years. At Willard street, Mr W. G. Willson, ivelcoming the Minister, congratulated him on the way he was facing the questions of the day.