THE BUILDING ACT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 295, 22 October 1864, Page 4

THE BUILDING ACT.

It very frequently happens in ,t,lus world that Hie very best course lor us lb pursue is to choose (lie least ol' two evils. We cannot always obtain or clo that which we see is really for the best. A wise man therefore bends himself to the circumstances which lie cannot alter to suit his own particular easy. The promoters of thfc " Building Act Amendment Act," introduced into the Provincial Council by Mi'.Newman are, exactly in the position alluded to above. The principle of the measure meets with unanimous approval, but the area sought to be embraced by it is as unanimously considered too large'. The Government had better meet the wishes of the Council, which is simply an echo of the feeling out ol" doors, and agree 10 ii much less extension or" the Act Ihiui Uiey have proposed. Kvery one allows that it would be an excellent thing | ■ per xf, if all I lie buildings in the city and suburbs were built of u less inflammable material' than timber. This would be a very great gain in many ways. But if we cannot, under cur present circumstances, obtain that which we consider best in this respect, let us turn to that which is the next best. The following considerations seem to us conclusive against anything but a very gradual extension of the area to be embraced by the Building Act. '.First and foremost we find it totally unable to keep pace with the i-cquirements for houses, using even thiipresenl material of wood. This of itself is a full and sufficient reason for modifying the proposed Bill. Fabulous rents have now to be paid lbv anything that can be called a house. These high rents.press exceedingly heavily upon

all classes ; they press the heaviest tipun those who can least hear the pressure. The merchants of Auckland f T, e! not Ibis as do tlu- bulk of the population. Most of the former have their snug villa nicely situated nt a distance from the town. But there are i> great many people who can neither get a shelter in town nor suburb. These, m too many eases are huddled up, two and three families in a house hot nearly large enough for one family. A common room serves as kitchen for the whole, and then each fiim.ily is packed for the night, in a bedroom without i discrimination or .separation of cge or sr-x, to the detriment, of their nso'rai and physical health. To extend the operation of the Building Act at present will prevent, the creel ion of very many houses, and so increase this great social evil. For to prevent wooden houses being built, in certain localities is simply to prevent any being built. The price of brick and stone, and the very limited supply of either, naturally brings about this result. It would then be, a suicidal act which would greatly limit that which we so urgently require, ;i large addition to our house accommodation. A gain, the mortality of this city has been very in great excess of what it ought to be. Everyone at all acquainted with the laws of health, and who has read the reports on the health of towns published in England, is fully awaretliat overcrowded living rooms are one great cause of first thegenoralhealthbeing undermined, and then of its totally giving wrty. There can be no doubt, whatever, but that any Act which would tend lo'check the erection of dwelling houses among us, would tend to undermine the health of a large poportion of tinworking classes, and their hcalthis their capital, their stock in trade, and on it the}* must rely in order to obtain food and raiment. Undermine, therefore, the health of the masses whether by overcrowding in houses, by want of sewers, by want, of water, by close narrow streets, or by an}' other invention of the lukewarm and tlie careless, and the property of the masses, their prop and stay, is at once taken from them, and the whole community suffer as well as the particular individuals specially concerned. And can the present overcrowding of houses fail to seriously depreciate the lieatlh ol' the inmates ? Here is a room, sav ten feet square, without a chimney or other means of ventilation. It- is large enough to accommodate one person as a sleeping room, but is occupied by four or live persons of different sexes and dillercnt ages. The door is closed after they have all got into the room, and then they are practically in a law box with the lid closed. One hoi.r vitiates the atmosphere, extracts the oxygen, and (illsit with a large excess of carbonic acid gas, the gas thrown on! by the lungs at each exhalation, and which is wholly unable to support life. The result is the parties are literally re-breathing over and over again the same air, the blood is denied its necessary supply of reinvigorating oxygen, and it is contaminated with the deadly carbonic acid gas. Hie health is as surely undermined, the vital principle sapped, as is a building with its foundations removed. Again, loolc at the moral aspect of this overcrowding. Can we expect, the liner traits and feelings of humanity to be called forth, nurtured and t rained, where persons of various ages and sexes have to sleep in the same room. Js this the way to -preserve the bloom of modesty in the maiden's cheek—to train the mind of the young man in hal its of delicacy and refinement? Can this mingling of (he sexes in this manner do ought, butMunt the liner feelings of our nature, and reduce us day by day more nearly to the beasts

thai perish. " On social and moral grounds wo must oppose snv .Act. that condemns the lather and the mother, and the grown lip son and daughter to the use of the same sleeping room. Extend the Act to the purely business parts of the city as these enlarge, and do all that can be done to increase the number of dwelling houses until each working man's family can have one to live in—a place that he can call his no.MK, and not merely a room, f'cr which he pays almost the rent of a house. There is another question in connection with this subject which deserves the most serious attention. A large number of mechanics and working men have provided themselves with allotments, on which they hope to build a house of their own. They have paid, it may be, for the land; they are now saving their money till such time as' they have got enough to enable them to commence building. To extend the operations of the Act materially, would be to put-a bar in the wny of these thrifty and industrious people, and prevent them carrying out their very praiseworthy attempt at having a house of their own. '1 hey can soon be able to build one of wood. It will be long, very long, before thev could build one of brick or stone.

ffoiise accommodation would therefore "be stinted ill supply, and .prudent -worthy men; chocked in habits of providence itnd forethought. : And wc arc prepared to state, on authority, thiit ■ the Land , Societies and the remanent Building Club, which commenced a few months ago, lire doing a great deal of good by putting it in the power of many persons who have an allotment of land to get an advance or loan to enable them to erect a dwelling-house npon it. We cannot, therefore, but come to the conclusion that- however desirable it isj—and We quite; believe in this desirability,—to extend tlie area affected bytiic Building Act, yetthat it is hot at all politic to do so at tlic present time, to any great degree at least. We should ourselves be inclined to think that Princes-street T ' nc barracks to the t<V'_ ; JL V v akefield-sireet, and so down that street to Queen-street, up Welleslcystreet, or the market reserve, aud so on tc Hobson-street, keeping the cast side of it, Would be about as Car as such an Act should extend under present circumstances: We qtiiti? agree with Mr. Newman, as to the. disastrous effect;i large fire might cause, especially witli oiii* present inadequate supply of Water, but as in many streets, the buildings are often more, or less detached, the risk from fire will not .be very great if we can get only a full and abundant supply ol water on (lie, plan .originated by Mi : ..Xleaphy aud reported upoii. by Mr..Harding, and more lately by Mr. Wrigg. At any rate beyond these limits the houses are detached, and in .many instances, far apart. Weighing then, the pros and consi,. webelieve : the Just: evil which .Wo . .twist, • eUoo-e; aiid that is to do nothing that will have a tendency at the present time to check the rapid erection of dwelling houses. Wc might strengthen our arguments by pointing to the very large number of immigrants whom We expuet to constantly al 1 rive.; J'or although the billlc of them will, we hope; lie settled oil their land as soon as possible after their arrival, yet, Auckland must always form a resting place, for a few days or Weeks for fchein, and cause a large and additional supply of house rooni to be a prime necessity.