PETONE HOUSING

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 2, 28 September 1937, Page 13

PETONE HOUSING

455 Premises Not Up To Standard RESULTS OF SURVEY The housing survey of Petone_borough, just completed, shows that 455 of the 2504 premises inspected are not up to the standard set by the regulations. A report on the survey was given to the borough council last night by the town clerk, Mr. H. Firth. The 455 premises classed as unsatisfactory were made up as follows, he said: — Private dwellings, 357; boardinghouses, 35; apartment houses, 34 ; combined shops and dwellings, 29. In nearly all cases the boarding and apartment houses were converted private dwellings. For physical condition the buildings were classed as follows: —Satisfactory, 56; unsatisfactory, but repairable, 364; repair impracticable, 35. In the last class were 15 baches; of the remaining 20 houses, five were on a well-known Sidney Street property and most of the others were in the Fitzherbert StreetNelson Street area. “When it is remembered that Petone is one of' the oldest towns in the Dominion, and also a large industrial centre, these figures are surprisingly good,” Mr. Firth commented. In 186 cases there were serious deficiencies and defects inside the dwellings, particularly in relation to sanitary and domestic equipment. In 223 cases the standard of minimum accommodation was unsatisfactory; there was overcrowding and lack of conveniences. Persons affected by these cases totalled 470. There were 157 cases of overcrowding, 26 in baches and 60 in unrepairable houses; 227 persons were affected. Serious overcrowding occurred in not more than half-a-dozen instances. “The manner in which the housing investigators were received is worthy of special mention, as there was not one refusal to give the necessary information,” Mr. Firth said. The total cost of the survey was £271 12/4, but there is a subsidy on wages of £129/12/-, so that the council will have to find only £142. “What is to be done about the unsatisfactory premises?” asked Cr. J. Cumming. The mayor, Mr. A. Scholefield: I take it the department will decide that. MORE LAND ACQUIRED FOR RECLAMATION Railway Line Across Seaview Road « Twenty acres of land on the seaward side of Seaview Road has been acquired by the Public Works Department in furtherance of its reclamation work at the mouth of the Hutt River. The land will be used first to facilitate the cartage of rock and soil taken from the cliff at the junction of Seaview Road for reclamation purposes. Already a start has been made with a road connecting by the shortest convenient route the scene of the cliff operations and the reclamation. Later the present railroad serving industries on the opposite side of Seaview Road will be extended across to the reclamation, creating a level crossing in an area hitherto free of silch inconveniences to road traffic to and from Eastbourne and bays. With the extension the reclamation will be 113 acres in area. COLLECTION OF RATES High Proportion At Upper Hutt

The highest collection of rates recorded up to the first discount day was reported to the Upper Hutt Borough Council last night by the town clerk, Mr. B. M. Wilmshurst. . Collections were £6178 compared with £5884 to the same date last year.