THE STATE AND LABOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15496, 1 January 1914, Page 9

THE STATE AND LABOUR.

WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT. DWELLINGS FOR WORKERS. [by teleghaph.—press association.] Wellington, Wednesday. The Secretary for Labour, Mr. John Lomas, retires to-day on superannuation after nearly 23 years' service. In the course of an interview with a Wellington Evening Post representative Air. Lomas said it was almost impossible to estimate the increase in the- administrative work of the Department, but, compared with that of any other country in proportion to the population, in administrative work in New Zealand and in the extension of the State's function, in connection with Labour matters generally this country easily leads.

" I may say," he added, " that independent of my official position, I have always been intensely interested in Labour matters. Particularly is, this the case with regard to workers'' dwellings, because the basic principle of that scheme is to make better citizen. It provides easy means of giving the worker a direct interest in his own home, and my experience is that its tendency haa been to make men more frugal. I believe it is the, intention of the Minister for Labour to extend the scheme into rural parts in order that the farming industry may have men available at times of the year when they are most needed. I think this scheme is quite practicable, and would mean the settlement of quite a number of good and useful workers and their families in country districts. The proposal is to give each man a home in the country and from five to twenty acres of land, according to quality.

"We have already made a start, and 13 houses are to be erected forthwith at Willowbridge, Canterbury. Each man is to be given a five-acre section of land, and the cottages will consist of four or five rooms. The rent will be about 15s or 16s per week, but included in this is part of the purchase money."