THE HOUSING SCHEME

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 38, 13 August 1920, Page 6

THE HOUSING SCHEME

more: about the fletcher ■ ■ '■ ■■■' ... plan' ■■ .: ' ■■'■/

SACRIFICES ON "BOTH SIDES.

An important reference to thi national housing scheme, proposed'by Mr. James Fletcher, of. the Fletcher Construction Company, was made by Mr. Fletcher at a. social gathering of the^ firm's • employees, heW last night. Mi. Fletcher was quite frank in stating his belief, that settled labour conditions were only possible when the people ware-comfortab-ly housed. To secure that, his firm was prepared to make a big sacrifice. He had occasion to praise the attitude of representative Labour leaders with whom he had been in consultation .right'from the start. . ' ■ • ■-,■■' "This housing scheme,"; said; Mr. Fletcher, "is not an advertising. ■'stunt,',.. as has been suggested in some quarters. Unless we had been, prepared to go right forward with the scheme, we would naver have come before the country with it., Now, I can say positively that weare fully prepared to organise a housing.. scheme absolutely national in its scope." The proposal to build 2400 houses in New Zealand was not made without a thorough investigation of conditions and 'a fUll realisation of what the plan meant .Many" dwjfefeocesf'ljaa''l)eett.l,?ieia with the Labpur bodies, directly concerned. The scheme had been endorsed in Wellington, and had now been enthusiastically, taken up "by Labour organisation? in both Auckland and Dunedin. "Our opponents say that our scheme is a wild cat one. It is not," said Mr. Fletcher; "The only solntion of the Labour problem is the provision of more houses. Only then will Labour be contented. Only then will mores labour be attracted! U the Dominion. , Men do their' best work when they are living in conditions that arc satisfactory," If the scheme , went forward, sacrifices would be' made on both sides, because neither side should have selfish motives in connection, with'such an essential undertaking." "Our own concern would lose £15,000," , said Mr. Fletcher. "We have recently landed hugf shipments 6f supplies, but, because. permits for building are withheld, we cannot use them. Our plants would be at a standstill j Our; marble quaary would be idle. The 2i per cent, of which you have. heard so much would not pay office expenses. But we: would hot go"into the scheme for profit. We" do not desire to take advantage of the position to grab every farthing. Looking at it from the standpoint of securing contented labour, we are prepared to sacrifice something." The Labour side had been most modev-' ate in its demands. It lfad been a pleasure to be associated with Messrs. Peter Fr-aser, M.P., -F. Cornwell, secretary of the : Building Trades' Federation, and Mr. F. Singleton, secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters arid Joiners, who have been interested in thr scheme right from the beginning. He was agreeably surprised nt the wages which the federation had been prepared to accept. "They are cutting down the wages whicb they are being paid at the present time," said Mr. Fletcher / Labour, it was quite plain, was sincere ' in its desire to see the housing difficulty solved, and Labour was not going to exploit the present position. - '~