OTAHUHU NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15513, 21 January 1914, Page 6

OTAHUHU NEWS.

ERECTION OF WORKERS' HOMES.

•One of the officials of the Labour Department says he believes that the Government would immediately call for tenders for tho erection of from sixty to one hundred workers' dwellings on the Mangere sido of the Otahuhu railway> station were a traffic bridge erected over the railway to give access to the dwellings. As already reported the Railway Department has offered to build! the overhead bridge at a cost of £800 and contribute half that sum if the local bodies interested will contribute the other half. In response to this offer the Mangere Road Board and the Manukau County Council (in whose districts the site of the proposed new dwellings is situated) have each offered £100. The Otahuhu Borough Council declines to contribute, mainly because tlw land affected is not in the borough. A member of the council now suggests " an easy way out of the difficulty. ' He proposes that " the Labour Department should do what all other owners of estates do when cutting up their estates for closer settlement, make the roads and bridges at their own expense.'' If the labour Department would subscribe £200 the Railway Department could immediately proceed with the erection of the bridge. Otahuhu has no money, and it is said would derive no benefit 'from the bridge, whereas the Mangere Road Board and Manukau County Council would get the rates levied on the new houses, and the Labour Department would get a great deal more from the land than it is now paying."' It would be necessary to make an approach to the new bridge on the Otahuhu side. This would cost, it is estimated, not less than £200. If the Otahuhu Borough Council consented to undertake this part of the scheme perhaps there would be no further difficulty. Members of local bodies interested is, the Great South Road, between Auckland and Pnkekohe, warmly support tie view recently expressed by the Mayor of Auckland, that the Government should take oven- the control of this and other arterial roads of the Dominion. All these local bodies are willing to contribute to the cost of a permanent improvement of the road, and also to the cost of maintenance as far as their resources will enable them. It seems probable that a conference of local body representatives will take place very soon, with the object of laying the whole matter before the Prime Minister, with suggestions which will help to a solution of the problem.