PROBLEMS OF HOUSING

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26869, 23 October 1952, Page 3

PROBLEMS OF HOUSING

CR. BALDWIN ATTACKS GOVERNMENT

COUNCIL’S PLAN TO CLEAR SLUMS

Housing problems had been aggravated by the maladministration of the present Government, said Cr. 0. Baldwin (chairman of the housing committee of the City Council) in an address last evening to the Richmond branch of the Labour Party. Had the Government carried out its first election promises, more people would have been accommodated and local authorities would have had a better chance of implementing their housing schemes. The aged were a . section which had been neglected over the years no city could be proud of its efforts, he said. The Government had failed to stabilise building and land costs and had had to extend the subsidy for pensioners’ cottages to 33 1-3 per cent. The aged frail were nobody’s baby. The Hospital Board would not accept responsibility for that group and the City Council was unable to accept it. “Thank goodness we have the Red Cross and the Nurse Maude Association,” said Cr. Baldwin, “or God alone knows how the frail would get on.” The Government was trying to remove the pensioners from Howardville. He had spoken to most of the 134; they were happy and contented, although some were frail. One man had told him that the distance of Howardville from Christchurch kept them from the “boozer.”

“It is only a rotten political stunt to shift the aged from Howardville,” said Cr. Baldwin. “If the 134 votes were Tory votes, there would be no suggestion of moving them. The Government and the Hospital Board won’t look after the aged and frail people of Christchurch and the City Council has not £500,000 to house them, but is prepared to co-operate with others to house them.”

Would the Government increase the subsidy to 50 or 75 per cent.? he aasked. The rest had to come from public subscriptions. He hoped that when the appeal for funds was made by the Aged People’s Welfare Council the public would dig just as deep to provide for the aged as it did to P££y ide , the sinews of war between 1939 and 1945. Rise in Costs The Government had failed to produce a housing scheme which it had claimed would be better than Labour’s said Cr. Baldwin. In the first three’ months of this year, only four State houses became available each month for allocation in Christchurch. The City Council had built in 1943 55 houses at Sandilands at a cost of £53,000, but 37 houses in Palmer’s road and Linwood were now costing the council £85,000. A three-bed-room house cost £1253 in 1943 and £2750 today. The cost was not going to deter the council from building. The subdivisions in Spreydon would not provide . cheap sections because of the costs.

‘I am afraid that the Harewood transit housing settlement will be there for another 10 or 12 years, because the demand is so great,” said Cr. Baldwin. “There is little likelihood of all the present tenants being housed in the next year or two. As tenants move out to a State house, we have to go through a file of applications for accommodation to find the most urgent cases.” Discussing a trial pre-fabricated house erected on a council section in Kerr’s road, Cr. Baldwin said the house of 801 square feet as completed was valued at £2660, plus £4OO for the section. Yet the Government was importing pre-fabricated houses, instead of employing New Zealand labour and using New Zealand timber.

“If a worker is prepared to take on that proposition, he will be eligible for a pensioners’ cottage long before he expects,” said Cr. Baldwin.

Flats for Single People Slum areas had to go. He desribed a slum in Christchurch and said that the City Council would take steps to deal with one property owner. Why were slum conditions allowed to continue? The council could close the properties down but had to provide alternative accommodation. The rents for the slum rooms were excessive. A woman: It should be stopped. “You try and do it,” commented a man.

“People are being exploited the whole time,” said Cr. Baldwin. “What are wanted are blocks of flats for single men and women and married people without families. But the schemes will cost money. The slum areas are going to go—there is no doubt about that. There will be a housing problem until money becomes man’s servant instead of his god. The immigrants are entitled to be housed. That is a Government responsibility, but not until all our people are housed will housing be provided by the City Council for new settlers. The Government does not propose to continue the Hornby transit housing scheme for single immigrants in the meantime. The Government is shelving its responsibility. The single migrants will marry and they are entitled to be housed.” If the Government had carried on with Labour’s housing schemes, the position would have been much easier today, said Cr. Baldwin. More land was being obtained by the council for pensioners’ cottages and 40 acres of land suitable for sections for workers' homes was available. “Many people who have the finance and would like to build their own homes cannot find sections within the city area,” concluded Cr. Baldwin. “There is" sufficient back land in Christchurch to build a further. 30,000 houses. I am sorry that the Land Bill recently passed by Parliament did not cover the city land owner, because we would have been able to clamp down on ,them. We can operate the Public Works Act, but because of the number of owners involved it would not be worth while.” Replying to a question, Cr. Baldwin said no permits for luxury building should be given and all materials and resources devoted to housing. An office building in Hereford street which would have served for many years, had been demolished and luxurious premises were being erected for an insurance company. The attendance of 22 was deplored by the chairman (Mr D. Guyton), who remarked that the apathy on such a question as housing was strange.