HOUSING SURVEY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22792, 28 July 1937, Page 15

HOUSING SURVEY

CHRISTCHURCH REPORT SOME UNWHOLESOME AREAS STANDARD GOOD AS A WHOLE [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday After congratulatory references had been made to the council's stall' 011 the efficient manner in which the housing survey had been carried out and several councillors had expressed their gratification at the information disclosed by the survey, Mr. J. S. Barnett seriously disturbed the serenity of the City Council last evening by his outspoken references to the conditions under which some people lived in Ghristchurch. "Little better than dog kennels" was his description of their quarters. In commenting on the report on the survey tabled by the chief inspector, Mr. Barnett said that councillors would be living in n fool's paradise if they allowed the idea to go out that Christchurch was freo from any unhealthy or unwholesome areas, "I am hoping that the council will do something to remedy the unwholesome defects in our housing system," lie said. As an example of the conditions to which lie referred, Mr. Harnett quoted a property with a capital value of £12,675 and an annual rental of £2751, or 21 per cent, which was extracted from 106 occupants, who occupied 99 dwelling units. If this property were demolished, he added, a very considerable number of deserving poor would be thrown 011 to the street. The Mayor,' Mr. J. W. Bcanland, said he rather regretted that, as a result of Mr. Burnett's remarks, it should go abroad that there were terrible places in Christchurch. The position was to some extent satisfactory, as disclosed by the figures. "Of course, we have these places as mentioned by Mr. Barnett, and L feci as lie does about them," the Mayor added. "I have thought that the .houses built hy the Government arc too expensive for the poorer people, and 1 am glad to hear that it is intended to make provision for old-age pensioners. Christchurch as a whole will stand up to the rest of New Zealand as far as the standard of its homes is concerned."