"SLUM" QUARTERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6178, 9 April 1907, Page 4

"SLUM" QUARTERS.

LABOUR DELEGATES’ REFERENCES TO DUNEDIN. INQUIRY BY MiTaRNOLD, M.H.E, COMPARISONS WITH WELLINGTON TENEMENTS. PKESS ASSOCIATION. DUNEDIN, April 8. In consequence of tho discussion at the Trades and Labour Conference in respect to Dunedin’s so-called slums, Mr J. F. Arnold, M.H.R., paid n visit 1 no the localities referred to, namely, Walker and Stafford streets. Being familiar with tho condition of affair) tip to a few months ago, he concluded that they must be ’ much worse non if the remarks made tit the conference were correct. Ho found, however, on Saturday that such was not tho casa in connection with houses occupied by. Europeans and Syrians. -'With tho exception of one house,” Mr Arnold says, “tho whole of tho European and Syrian residences were occupied by a respectable class of people, a considerable number of whom are old ago pensioners. It is true that several of tho houses consist of only one room, and that they arc fairly congested ; but they are each occupied hy one person' only, and appear to he clean and well kept inside. To my mind, some bet ter arrangement might be. made _by cither the Government or municipality,but I think the conference would have been hotter advised had it considered the cause, and removed the difficulty under which tho poor class are suffering, rather than have cast reflections upon these people by making exaggerated statements. If the whole of theso places were pulleckdown > to-mor-row, did tho conference consider what would become of those who were at present residing in them? There is no eomnarison between the state of things in this locality and that of Wellington, where two and three families are to ho found in one residence containing only a few rooms. Tho reference to London slums is, of course, absurd on the face of it.”