R.S.A. CANNOT TAKE ALL CREDIT-SAYS 2 N.Z.E.F. ASSN.

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22931, 27 April 1949, Page 6

R.S.A. CANNOT TAKE ALL CREDIT-SAYS 2 N.Z.E.F. ASSN.

“Our yc:::'7 association here strenuously objects to the Gisborne R-S.A. claiming all the credit for the speeding up of transit camp renovations and the completion of State house units,’’ said the chairman of the Gisborne branch of the 2 N.Z.E.F- Association, Mr. I. McCalium, today.

He referred to trie statement made by the president of the Gisborne R.S-A., Mr. Gordon Jones, at a general meeting of that association on Anzac Day in which he said that every feature in the report of Mr. Moohan on the progress made with housing Kiwis in Gisborne was attributable to the urging of the Gisborne R.S.A. “Following an investigation into the state of housing in Gisborne early in February by the Dominion president of the 2 N.Z.E.F. Association, Mr. Kenneth Melvin, Auckland, and a stinging, report he sent to Wellington, the chief building inspector, Mr. A. G. Butcher, Wellington, made a three-day visit to Gisborne, and from that stage an improvement was noted," said Mr. McCallum. Slow Progress at Dale of Visit The Gisborne spokesman of the 2 N.Z.E.F. Association said that the position at the time of Mr. Butcher's arrival on February 28 was a sorry one. The contractor reconditioning ablock of huts in the transit camp was making very slow progress due to a shortage of labour and the completion of State houses was lagging seriously because of trouble with roofing supplies. “Concentrating firstly on the transit housing, Mr. Butcher Investigated the position, and by the end of the day had the services of six senior rehabilitation carpenter trainees transferredto the contractor,” said Mr. McCalium. “His action • has considerably speeded up the renovation work and to date, d[ understand, at least 14 of the huts have been allocated to families awaiting housing. The work, in general, is fairly well advanced- “ Mr. Butcher told us that the country had imported 200 tons of aluminium roofing and that Gisborne had been allocated a good share in view of the other roofing material here being in short supply. He wanted to know where the aluminium was, because ha saw little of it in use on the new State, units,” continued Mr. McCalium. Aluminium Supplies Located “It was not long before Mr. Butcher located the supplies of aluminium and a day or two following his visit every alternate house awaiting a roof was being provided with aluminium. Later,, to supplement the supplies being manufactured in this district, tiles were made available from other centres. “The branch of the association here feels that it can lay claim to " credit < for a speed-up in the completion of the transit camp renovations and a vast improvement in the roofing of State house units, which had been standing for some time exposed to the elements,” he said. “On the other hand, we do not seek any credit for the improvement in the number of State houses erected since May, 1948, nor in connection with allocations, because our - organisation was not then in existence. "I may ask, in conclusion, what the. Gisborne Borough Council is doing in ’ regard to improving the conditions for the residents of the other section of the transit block at the Park Domain?” said Mr. McCalium. "Those huts are still in a poor condition.”