MINERS' HOMES

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 31, 1 August 1923, Page 5

MINERS' HOMES

'"'"Disgrace to-Community Having been to Hikurangi on beJtf of the Save the Children. Fund L fl having to stay some fc'mu in Into ■township owing to the bun railway i Jteninunication with the_o_,3r part of rtie North Island, 1 had a good walk ■ ■Sound the place. Tho shacks which « many of the miners are compelled tt, live in are a disgrace to any community that claims to b,g civilised. , There are* two-roomed snacks in , w hich men and then famUiea are compelled to live that <ar e not nearly as good as many cowsheds that 1 have s^ ll - Some have been compelled t 0 live in tents Th ? s may be |j],ed the "Winferless North," but there Is sufficient ran to maks the roads impassable, except for hoi-rfes. ' To have to bring up a family of [g ve or six children of different sexes jn a two-roomed " home" is not conducive to health, either mental physical, or moral. That many of mc miners are -rough in their manner is true, but there is not a more generous body of men i n the whole urork-a-day world. The rents that a r« charged by the company for the shacks are quite out of all proportion to the accommodation provided. Women who live in some of the new "homes" have not been away from them for weeks a s the wet has made the place around so bad that they cannot step outside their own doors without getting bogged in the uaud. In this particular township there 1 - m s absolutely no recreation for the. Ki-en whatsoever, if one" excepts the Kotel and the pictures on th e few Kays a -we«fc -when they are being Known. It 5 S the most dreary and existence it is possible Ko imagine. Of real home life there Kan be none. When people grumble Kbout tbe miners and their propenKity for fighting it would be as well ■or them to bear in m-nd that apart Mrom. an occasional football match, Khere is no reasonable outlet for the Boimg men's physical and mental creative powers. n One cannot fail to be strucxt with fitter lack of consideration the comBanies display as regards the jffisychoiogLcal needs of the men. Blany ars herded together in such a Iway that they live the life of. mere iibeasts of burden. That many are 51hharflCfrer/sea uy «—■ •-* » •■»- fcVelopment of their combative characBjlristics is only to be expected. Some l|ecome heavy drinkers as that is the jfinly way In which they can achieve wome mental relaxation. That there fflre a few real tamest students of jHconoru l 'c and political matters is ifipeatly to their credit, for they are _P under tha most adverse conditions. 'wit would be a good object lesson to £ _f e goody-goody prohibitionist £o live Jfciongst these ~and see if anyth-ng THse can honestly be expected of the ■Bulk of them, when the whole of their is taken into consideraJwn. For my own part I would not -jfcllingly ask any decent young v/oJ -fflan t 0 share lif e with mc in such a llwnslrp and under such housing mnditions as prevail in Hikurangi. ■The men's first need is to be pro■Klecl with some clean, decent *way of Bending their spare time. The great Bed of the place next to decent ■uses at a reasonable rent is for. a Hub with library and' reading room II well as the usual billiard room ?J|d card room. If the coal compant_l lsiacl any rea * 'ntellig-snce they ,jßuld see that these were provided Hr tlien tliey woul( * De likely t0 S'-t Bn to stop in the mining townships lid follow the pitwork. As it is, Hpry man with thought for his chii«»Hpn's welfare does his best to make ■ possible to get some occupation Bt will take them away from such jr ces - wnere there ,are neither deIpt houses, reasonable recreation 12 _T aos °lutely r:0 provision, for any a _r' al Q - All mCn do not want to 3 -_T e ' to ln - e t their friends in a hotel., il s iar as tne rnin ' l ' ,:a S industry is , Acerned it is as much a definite ! c Jßblem psychologically as it is a t «st : on of wages and hours, impirrtaW ar: Ihose arc. Some day an infßigent company or government will >ffl_ to il tuat men wno work under few will continue in, un«Jf I)ro "ght up to the m'"nes from oB B (1 li, will have due- consideration Wl to their needs as social animals H provide proper outlets for the '■rgies, other than those of pracc°»lly purely combative, nature. —E. ricflp. ALLFiN.