HOUSING EVILS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 87, 12 April 1923, Page 7

HOUSING EVILS

POSITION IN AUCKLAND SOME SAD EXAMPLES AN EFFORT, TO ROUSE THE PUBLIC. {IT TILIftRAFM, —BFIOIAL TO HI POIT, J AUCKLAND, This Day. The. determination of the Council of Christian Congregations to bring th» matter of the overcrowding evil before the Mayor and citizens of Auckland is one that will be approved by all who are acquainted in any way with the conditions that exist in certain portions of the city. Ever since the epidemic in 1918 social workers and others have been striving to maintain a spirit of public indignation, which was aroused by the revelations made at that time. From time to time publicity has been given to their views upon the matter, many shocking cases have been cited, but nothing has been done to rouse strong public opinion. They are now hoping that this may be achieved by bringing the facts before a great mass meeting of citizens.

"The cases we quoted the other evening are typical," said Sister Esther, "kvery social worker.could add many others of the same class. I might mention one, however,, which seems to me peculiarly sad, for ifc_ indicates that the people are no longer" being kind to one another in time oi distress, as they al--ways used to be. This was a case in which a house of six rooms was occupied by a woman and her family and three boarders. In an outside bathroom another unfortunate woman. found refuge, a bed being made up on top of the oath for which she paid 5s a week. A health officer called at the house while I was out of town recently and forbade the landlady to rent the bathroom any longer, so the bed was removed. It seems incredible, but it is a fact, that for ten nighte that poor woman never had her clothes off, spending the nights sitting upon a box in a draughty %varii-_. bouss. She had some money, but was unable to get & room anywhere, and the people in the house knew of her predicament, but none of them would take compassion on her. As soon as I returned and heard of all this, I found her another room."

A yet more pitiful caw mentioned by Sister Hannah is that in which a mother, father, and three children are living in one small "furnished" room, up three flights of stairs, with no lighting save a candle, and no cooking facilities, all food having to be prepared in the kitchen below and carried upstairs; and into this wretched menage another little soul will soon be born. In another shack of four,rooms two families of nine people in all are living huddled together, the rent being £1 a week. Other Instances cited were those in which two un.furnisb.ed rooms were let for 25s si week, one furnished at the sam% figure, and a four-roomed cottage occupied by two families (four adults,and six children), the rent being 18s a week. The methods employed by certain.landlords in regard to increase of .rents' were condemned by another speaker. Mention was made of one well-known landlord, who owns a row of cottages, the rent of which five years ago varied from 12s 5d to 14a a week. So far as could be ascertained no improvements had been made, but the rents had gradually increased from £1 to 30s a ■ week.

The exorbitant increase '• made when a few articles of furniture , were, added was also mentioned, one case being quoted in which a cottage formerly, rented at 12s 6d a week had been "furnished" with a few cheap iron bedsteads and one or two meagre articles of household use, and the rent raised to 37s 6d a week. This cottage was occupied by' a workman earning £4 6s a week, with a wife and five young children. They had their own furniture, but were compelled, of necessity,, to take this cottage, so that, after paying the rent, they had £2 Bs--6d a week on which to live.