OVERCROWDING EVIL

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 86, 11 April 1923, Page 5

OVERCROWDING EVIL

AUCKLAND'S SORRY PLIGHT

"A BLOT ON~ OUR SO-CALLED CIVILISATION"

I SOME SHQCiq:^Q EEVELATIQNS, j (BT TELBGR^H.—SPECIAL TO. THE POST.) AUCKLAND, This Day M Any Aucklander who may still cherish . pleasant illusion that all is well, with the city's ; social conditions wqid.d have : found that theory hopelessly, shattered ■by the shocking revelations made 'last evening to.the Council of Christian- Congrega,tions. by. leading social workers, 'fhe housing. Drob-lem. and direful effects of overcrowding upon the. physical; "and moral well-being of the community have lately been the subject; of investigation by a special committee of the council, and. social workers were invited :to. be present at the - quarterly vnoeting last evening tq speak in suppo.rl of the findings of that committee. Their speeches ,w,ere mqre than convincing ; they'revealed beyond all question a.state of affairs which Mr. 0. ,F, B.ennett, convener of the, special committee, described as! ''a . blqt and slqr on ouv so-caEed civilisation." '.- '" " . ' .■'.■■' ■■■ "I dare not let my mind picture the future of the generation which has, been. ■brought up under present conditions," declared Adjutant . Gordon, of the Salvation Army; in the course of an earnest and eloquent speech.. "AD the. efforts being put forth to help our young people are being threatened by the evil of overcrowding. What can one hope for '; from ypung children growing up in hoy- - els, where' families are huddled' together | without, any of the decencies or privacy of ordinary home life? We hear much . of. the number of juvenile"* delinquents coming before the Police Court. The only wonder is that there are not agreat many more, arid. I say it reflects the greatest credit on the poor mother^ that children are growing ' up, even a,s well as they are." . -; SOME ACTUAL INSTANCES. The speaker described actual instances ,; of overcrowding that had come under her own attention. There was one case in which the mother and father and son of 17 all lived, ate, and slept in the same room, the two men occupying; the only bed,' the mother sleeping oh the flopij. Another case cited was that of five children of ages ranging from six , to 12 years, all sleeping in one bed. ' ('We want . from' 1000 to 2000 new houses in Auckland alone," continued the speaker. ' "Do not suggest' we should build flats or tenements, but get '.ihp authorities to put up cottages which can be made int^r real homes, where' little ones can learn something of what home means; where young people setting up married life can have a chance of bringing, children into the world under nappyconditions." FAMILY LIFE BEING BROKEN UP. Sister Hannah, of the Grey Street Mission, spoke no less convincingly. -VP&mily -life is rapidly being'"broken up," she said, "and people are living in a semi-public way which, is working * out most disastrously. How-can girls^ and boys grow up with any instinct of delicacy and refinement when adults and little, children are living, eating, ' and v sleeping together in the way they are 'at: present in many so-called 'homes'? Think what it means in times of sick- . ness. It is no use the Government building splendid schools when children are living their early life under these terrible conditions." In reply to a query, Sister Hannah stated that there were not merely hundreds but thousands of cases of: tills kind in Auckland. The overcrowding evil was not confined, to the poorest class], but had now spread even to those able to pay for, decent accommodation but unable to obtain it. ''-... ■' TWENTY-SEVEN PEOPLE IN ONE ; . HOUSE. •' . . Sister Esther backed up the strong indictment of existing conditions by the recital of actual cases. In one instanceno fewer than 27 people were stated to be living in one house, the rent of which was £3 a week, two basement, rooms being occupied by toyo separate families, who each paid a guinea a week for their room. In one of, these dens lived , a man and his -wife and three children. There was no room fpr chairs, the only; furniture being two beds and a dressing v table, in the drawers of which were stored all their food and provisions:There was no gas or cooking conveniences of any kind. A baby was born ir^ one of these rooms under tnese conditions. • "It is no use the Churches expecting people to lead holy lives when they'are forced to herd together like animals," asserted the Eev. Jasper Calder, City Missioner. "We can never hope to improve the moral and spiritual tone of the community while we leave thousands of our people to exist in a manner that, destroys all modesty. The moral slackness that follows the flat or tenement system is a very real menace, and-ore must try to combat it by providing homes forpeaple farther out of the city, with cheap transit. The problem is a difficult one, but that is the very first essential: get the people out into the fresh and open' spaces of the suburbs." A PUBLIC MEETING REQUESTED. After further discussion, Mr. Bennett moved tfiat a deputation'wait on the Mayor with a request that a public meetng be held in the Town Hall, at which the evidence given by the social wqrkers should be placed before the citizens of I Auckland.with a view to rousing strong J public opinion. V .-■■.. Further suggestions as to how the Government might encourage workers to live ' in suburbs were made by Mr. Bennett, the motion being carried unanimously. "It is clearly our duty to send out a moral challenge," said the Rev. O. J. Tocker, in putting the motion. "Then, having roused the public conscience, we have a right to demand that the country face^the position, and that the State take steps to find a remedy." The resolution was carried unani- v mously. .