SUBURBAN HOLDINGS FOR TOWN WORKERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9583, 7 August 1894, Page 6

SUBURBAN HOLDINGS FOR TOWN WORKERS.

The following letter, dealing with the question of suburban holdings for town workers, has been forwarded to the Hon. W. P. Reeves, Minister of Labour, from the Jubilee Pioneer Assembly, Knights of Labour " Auckland, August 0. To the Hon. W. P. Reeves, Minister of Labour. Sir,— have been instructed by the above Assembly to submit to your consideration the following scheme to place town workers on suburban land. Mr. H. W. Dixon, a member of our Assembly, has had a conversation with you on the subject, and you requested him to forward, you particulars. He, however, laid the matter before the Knights . of Labour for their consideration, and accordingly a resolution was carried, to the following effect. Resolved,' That the particulars of ; Brother Dixon's <■. scheme re small holding for town workers be sent to the Government under the auspices of this Assembly, vide minutes of meeting held in Cook-street Hall on the 25th July.' Suburban holding for town workers. ' 1. That the Government obtain 2000 acres of land within one mile of a railway station on either the Waikato or Kaipara lines. 2. ; That 1400 acres of this land be cut up into 2-aere sections, fenced with 4-wire barbed fence, and four-roomed cottage' building on each allot.

?• meat. This leaves a balance ot 600 acres for i commonage and roads. 3. That these holdI ings be let to town workers at » yearly I rental of £6, or five per cent, on cost. The ' following figures will show that this would be about five per cent, of the outlay, putting extreme prices on everything, though the -'Government; could probably do it at much ISBS cost: —Surveying each allotment, £2 ; fencing, £6; four-room cottage, 28 by 24, £100;, three acres land at £3 (allowing one acre for commonage and roads), £15; total, £123; five per cent, of £123, £6 3s. You will find by altering the time-table of the people's train that the workers could come in with the coal train and return home with the empty waggons in the evening, and could be carried at a small fare without expense to the Railway Department. From : : the foregoing rough beads of. the scheme you will «eo for yourself what a boon this will be for the working men to have a home at no small a rental where he could raise crops to feed hid family. He would feel himself more independent of the necessity of offering his services for a smaller sum than his fellowman to obtain his daily bread, as he has now to do. In the second year of occupation he could have his ton of -potatoes stored or pitted, his pig in the sty, his cow running on the common, his few fowls, etc. I shall not trouble you with the minor details that would go to make this ' relief to the unemployed, as a man could fill up his spare in cultivating his ground, and he would hare a ready market for surplus produce that be might have to dispose of. Trusting that this will meet with your favourable consideration, as the increase of customs revenue by the increase of wages and the comfort given to the unemployed would be a great consideration to the Minister who could get this Act passed.—l am, etc., Samuel Pascoe, Secretary." ■