HOUSING PLANS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25036, 28 October 1944, Page 6

HOUSING PLANS

WESTERN SPRINGS UNIT PROGRESS OF SCHEMES Twelve of the temporary housing units being built by the City Council on land it owns at Western Springs are now occupied by families who had despaired of finding suitable accommodation in the city or suburbs. It is hoped that six more houses will be ready for occupation in about a fortnight's time. For this housing project, which is distinct from the transit camp scheme at Western Springs, the council has fixed a rental of .'3os a week lor twobedroom units and 32s 6d a week lor three-bedroom units. Practically all materials are being obtained from the vacated American naval hospital at Avondale, and the 30 houses which are being built are in ten three-unit blocks. Fifteen Families Found Homes In the transit camp scheme all 41 units are occupied. About 15 of the families which began to move in after the camp was opened early in August have since moved out to houses which have been found for them,"and they have all been replaced by other families who?e housing needs were most urgent. Also gone from the camp area is the 77-year-old spinster who went there with a tent in August and resisted ail efforts that were made to persuade tier to leave. She left as she had arrived, without telling anyone of her intentions. It has been decided that not more than 48 living units arc to be built in the transit camp area. Any units provided in addition to the 41 already in use will be constructed from buildings and materials already on the property. Success of the Project When the City Council took the plunge and provided the transit camp, it was told by many persons that the experiment would be a chaotic failure. , However, it has been the reverse. ISot onlv has the camp provided some relief ; to the housing shortage, but the people, who have been accommodated there have reacted so admirably to the camp idea that it has been an undoubted success. All have expressed great admiration for the council s control, ( which is immediately exercised by, a • caretaker and hia wife, with the assist- • ance of committees of the residents. i Two further improvements to the. i camp which are to be made by the ■ council are the provision of meat safes for every family unit and the sealing or . the area surrounding the ablutionary i block and extending to the adjacent living units. Each of these rmprove- , roents, which together will cost an esti- ! mated £515, will enhance the convem- ■ ences of the camp. . RATION COUPONS l ■ SUPPLEMENTARY BOOKS > COMPLAINT BY MOTHERS " Some mothers who are the holders oi I supplementary ration books for their i infant children have inquired why cer--1 tain coupons have been cut out from i the new books. In each case, the mother ' had used some of the coupons in the old - book, which had to be returned when 1 application was made for the new one. One of the mothers produced a new - book, from which three baby wool and 5 two infant linen coupons were cut out i from sheet 6 and ten clothing coupons > from page 7. The book of another had . had two infant linen and ten clothing f coupons removed. In addition, 3- egg ' coupons had been cut out. The women stated that the coupons were removed by the issuing officers. When the matter was referred to the rationing officer last night, he stated that supplementary ration books for expectant mothers and those with young babies were issued on application, and could be used from the date ; of confinement until the baby was aged i six months. As the egg coupons in the - old books would not be usable as from r tomorrow, it was necessary to call in all - the old books, from which some of the 7 "baby wool, infant linen and clothing ' coupons had been used by the mothers. Those coupons removed by the officials i from the new books with i" the number of old ones used, and the J coupons remaining were the same in 1 value as those which remained in the old books. » 3 If any egg coupons had been cut out, r there had been a mistake, said the offi--1 cer. Each supplementary ration book of e the new issue should contain the whole 1 sheet of egg coupons. - When the holder of the book from - which 32 egg coupons had been removed ? presented it to a dairy yesterday, she f was told that there would be no eggs for 9 her for four months. Another woman :) stated that only three clothing coupons • in the old book had been used, but 12 were removed from the new issue.' e : taxation breaches i NO RETURNS OF INCOME i A farmer and a stock agent were ] charged before Mr F. H. Levien, S.M., - yesterday with failing to furnish returns r of income. Mr Rosen represented the i Commissioner of Taxes. ? Charges of failing to furnish returns b for the years ended March 31, 1943, and -) March 31, 1944, were admitted by Albert Charles John Lupton, farmer - (Mr Reid). He was fined £lO on each ?. of the two charges. 1 John Maxwell' Massey, stock agent - (Mr Turner), pleaded guilty to charges 1 of failing to furnish returns for the past F two years. Counsel stated that, while - defendant had failed to' 1 forward returns, it was now found that on account of exemptions not a penny in tax was payable. A fine of £2 10s was imposed on each of the two charges. 1 DEATH OF PRINCESS t 1 NEW ZEALAND'S SYMPATHY : (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Friday > : The Governor-General, Sir Cyril - Newall, has sent to the King a message b expressing the respectful sympathy of t the Government and peoples of New Zealand, its Island territories and r Western Samoa, on the death yester- • day morning of Princess Beatrice. News ! of'her death, the message adds, was > received with deepest regret. J STATE KAURI FORESTS 5 CONCERN AT DEPLETION 3 (0.C.) WHANG AREI. Friday J Concern at the depletion of the i Northland State kauri forests by the r activities of the State Forest Service were expressed at a conference of Northland county councils in Whangarei today. Mr F. Wordsworth (Hobson) stated . that his council was concerned at the work in the Waipoua forest, while Mr 3 H. Hayes (Whangaroa) spoke of the f cutting of timber from the Omahuata State forest. It was considered that r there was need for the conservation of . such few native forests as remained, b The question of royalty on timber cut by the Forest Service was also discussed. At present, although county councils receive one-fifth of the royalty, paid by private millers eutting timber j on Crown lands, if such timber is cut r by the State Forest Service no portion l of the royalty is paid to councils. It • was decided to ask for such payment. [ HOSPITAL EXPERIMENT > 5 DOMESTIC SERVICE (P.A.) DUNEDIN, Friday The Otago Hospital Board has decided to give three months' trial to a > scheme submitted by a Christchurch , company for carrying out the full ■ domestic service done by wardsmaids, i the cost of which at present is £10,500 ,! for overhead, material and labour. The > company offered a three-year contract l at a tentative cost of £12,500 a year, •, this charge to be reviewed after three months' operation.