HOUSING SURVEY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23009, 9 April 1938, Page 22

HOUSING SURVEY

WELLINGTON'S NEEDS APARTMENT OVERCROWDING LEGAL CONTROL SUGGESTED [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Friday A report by the Wellington city engineer, Mr. K. E. Luke, on the housing survey conducted in the city last year, was presented to a special meeting of the City Council last night. It disclosed that out of 24,985 residential buildings surveyed slightly over 8 per cent wore unsatisfactory, but capable of being brought up to standard by repairs, while approximately 1.75 per cent wore not capable of being repaired. A feature of the report was overcrowding in apartments. It showed that 3222 apartment houses surveyed contained 8711 dwelling units, of which a largo percentage wero considered un-, satisfactory.

The report referred to the neglect of upkeep of certain properties and condemned the practice,of utilising private dwellings as apartment . houses and baches as dwelling units. It also dealt with the decline in building in recent years and pointed out that to keep in step with the population increase 617 new buildings would bo required each year, whereas the average of building permits for the years 1921 to 1938, inclusive of Government built houses, was 483 a year.

In presenting his conclusions, Mr. Luke stated that there wero many aspects of the present housing question that were of a very disturbing nature. He recommended inter alia the replacement of certain existing dwellings by the erection of suitable apartment houses or other multiple buildings and the introduction of legislation to control certain practices, in' particular that whereby several family units remained grouped together in dwellings that were not designed or provided to accommodate more than one family.