HOUSING PROBLEM

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 86, 8 October 1935, Page 10

HOUSING PROBLEM

COUNCIL APPROACHED

WOMEN S VIEWPOINT

'BEFORE NEXT MONTH"

A deputation from, the Wellington branch of the National Council of I a Women wailed upon the City Council * last evening to urge -that some definite c action should be taken by the council ' towards remedying the acuteness of the housing problem. "We ask," said * the chief spokeswoman, "that some- 1 thing be done now, so that some real ' measure of relief can be given before next winter." Mrs. M. H. Chatfield said that the deputation represented 19 women's societies ill the city. Their object in coming to the councjj was to urge.the necessity for immediate action to secure better conditions for the people living in miserable conditions .in the city. The council no doubt had reports from its officers as to where the longago condemned, leaking, rat-inlested, filthy, and overcrowded dwellings were and to whom they belonged, and therefore should not require long to determine a definite plan of action. INFLUENCE OF BAD HOUSING. "Speaking as the president of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, I can assure the council of the terrible effect on the morals of the. people, especially the children, as a consequence of overcrowding," continued Mrs. Chatfield. "Auckland has set the pace, following on the Old Country and others, and now, what about Wellington? We protest against housing being left to private enterprise, as being unfair, owing to possible further loss to people who have suffered already from, heavy rates and non-paying, tenants." Mrs. Chatfield' said that she understood that the City .Council had set up a committee to inquire into the housing position, but" that committee ■was also asked to consider certain aspects of city planning and the celebration of the centenary in 1940. AN AUCKLAND EXAMPLE. Miss L. W. Bridgeman referred to the action being taken in Auckland to erect 125 flats to meet the need. ' It ? was the duty of a city council to see that its people were adequately housed. In England small cities had undertaken successful, housing schemes, quite , apart from huge cities such as Lon- .' don. The object of a housing scheme [I was to produce premises suitable to J be used as homes. Women living in 0 two rooms, as in cases in Wellington, c could not. provide for their families c and their husbands. She suggested, first, the building of three-roomed n flats with* bathroom, for. families, and (1 then one-roomed flats for single men, suitable for old age pensioners, as was part of an English plan. This could be carried out in multiple flats, which could be built block by block, not to exceed four storeys high, to avoid lifts as being dangerous to children. The rental should not be more 2 than £1 a week. Te Aro Flat would . seem the district most in need.

"That would be out of the reach of the unhoused people," commented Councillor R. A. Wright, ■ M.P., who said that relief workers could not pay more than 5s a week.

Miss Richmond said that many of them were paying £1 now. '• • .

Mrs. Chatfield said that the builds ings could not be expected to be a paying proposition. The Government had promised that it would subsidise such an effort.

Councillor. C. H. Chapman, M.P., suggested that any facts which the deputation had collected and any information it could impart to the council's committee would be welcomed.

. Mrs. Chatfield said the deputation would be pleased to convey this.

Councillor W. Appleton asked whether the Council of Women had considered the question of multiple flats as a solution to the problem; there appeared to be a good deal of prejudice against flats in some quarters. Mrs. Chatfield said that she herself had visited typical flats of that type in London, offering very good conditions !at 5s and 7s 6d per week. Such housj ing was vastly preferable to the conditions under which so many families were living today in Wellington.

To Councillor A. Black, Mrs. Chatfield said that the National Council of Women was more concerned with the humanitarian aspect than with the commercial aspect of the housing problem. COMMITTEE'S DUTIES. The Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop) welcomed the opportunity of hearing the views of the deputation. Everybody realised the difficulties of the housing question at present, and'the necessity of something being done to meet those difficulties. The council had set up a committee to go into the matter. Perhaps a little misconception had arisen because that committee also dealt with certain aspects of the Centenary celebrations, but all it dealt with was the site for the celebrations and one or two minor matters. -That had not impeded the committee's main object, which was to deal with the housing problem. The committee, continued Mr. Hislop, had held meetings and had actually given instructions for the steps preceding the^ survey of housing conditions in Wellington. Every scheme so far adopted in Europe or England had found a survey of the city a necessary preliminary, to ascertaining the extent of the problem to be dealt with. He understood that it had been stated by the. Government that it was going to bring down legislation requiring a survey to be made. The council. had a preliminary report I about to be circulated, which would i give a lot of useful information.

In England, to which particular reference had been made, the Central Government had assisted considerably in the municipal housing schemes. He could not speak of the general views of the council, but he thought its view was his, that some assistance from the Central Government was essential if they were to provide a housing scheme to meet the needs of those who could not; pay a remunerative rental. HELPING THE HELPLESS. "The trouble is," said Mr. Hislop, "that we have to help to get houses for the great body of those who today cannot pay a rental which'will pay interest and sinking fund on the money involved. We have to find some way of bridging the gap. I think the assistance must be found from the Central Government."