The New Zealand Times. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1923. HOUSING

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11664, 31 October 1923, Page 6

The New Zealand Times. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1923. HOUSING

Anything that throws light on the great housing problem is, for various reasons, of surpassing public interest. Therefore the ieport that a house of four rooms has been built at Auckland for £450 deserves close attention and searching investigation. The first of these is easy; the second is, for practical purposes, at present impossible, owing to the paucity of information that accompanies the statement of fact. The fact is established that a house of four rooms has been built of ferro-concrete for £450; built with various conveniences, bathroom, washhouse, and so forth. Of that there is no doubt. The circumstances attest the importance of the fact. It was not an accidental building, as some plan hit upon fortunately by an allegedly inspired person. Such a thing might be expected from ordinary gossip dealing with a common root of rumours. In this case a gentleman who had thought out a scheme announced that a house could he built of the kind we have stated, and at the price, and another gentleman taking the matter up, verified that statement by actually building a house of the kind stated at the price mentioned. So far we are on firm ground. If no further information were required, it would be safe to at least hope that the housing problem, which has puzzled builders for years and has kept politicians wrangling, will soon be represented by a solution. If houses can be built in this way, they will bo built by the ten thousand, for there is no difficulty about financing £450 for a decent dwelling. In the case in point, there is the additional information that a quarter-acre section was obtained for £l5O for the £450 house, the whole costing £6OO. But, so far as the land is concerned, this does not carry us far on the road towards conviction. For it is plain that in populous centres, or near them, no land can be bought at that price that is within reach of transport facilities. There are probably acres somewhero that can bo bought at prices from a pound or two upwards. But houses built on those acres would not help the congestion which is forcing families to live in deplorable conditions. We must, therefore, in this case devote our whole attention to the house question. We have seen that a House can be built, apparently equal to all reasonable requirements, for £450. The question is whether the appearance is a reality. Anyone can build a cheap house by using unsuitable materials, bad workmanship, breaking, in fact, all the rules that are made for the

safety, convenience, and durability of buildings for human beings to live in. The mere building of a house, with fair details of room dimensions and conveniences, is not a satisfactory answer to the crucial question. That can only be answered by giving the specifications, such as of foundations, timber—dimensions and quality, as, for example, whether heart or otherwise—roofing, and the rest as set forth in good building contracts. There are the specifications of the Advances Department, for example, for the class of house on which public money can be advanced up to 95 per cent, of the value. Does this particular house that was built for £450 comply with those specifications? If it does not, it must be shown that the specifications are good enough to ensure the good results cf safety, convenience, and endurance which are indispensable. In that case it will have to be shown that the epeciIfications enforced by the Government are above due requirements, and, therefore, extravagant. That would be ?v serious attack on the Government system. But that should not prevent the fullest inquiry, the question being really whether the Government system is arbitrarily keeping back the solution of the housing problem, by making the solution expensively prohibitive, is one that ought to have the promptest and closest inquiry. The public has heard discussions of this kind about the cost of the school 'buildings. The result has not been anything like a general proof that the department is extravagant in its insistence on safety, convenience, and endurance. Nevertheless, we should not be deterred from probing the building question to the very bottom in the matter of housing. The investigation into the character of the -building erected is likely to be somewhat complicated and long. Who is to make it? It must be made by some authority. The office of the Government architect might conduct it, of course. But the building that lias been erected is a challenge to the department, and the public would hardly be satisfied with the verdict of the department charged. The inquiry is urgently necessary, because: (1) The solution of the housing problem is imperative ; and (2) the question must be faced of whether we can build cheaper than the present system permits, houses that will not only last as long as the time-limit of the advances made on them, but will also keep them in good repair and condition for their longpaying acquirers. If this result can be secured at less than half the cost now fixed, the gain to humanity would | be immense. It would simply be the ! substitution of gain lor enormous and j hopeless loss. We do not dogmatise. We j do not propose to dogmatise. In fact, ! we repudiate dogmatism. We cannot : sacrifice humanity to the dogmatism of I professional men. Far be it from us to charge the architects of New Zealand i with plans for advancement at the ex- | pense of humanity! An honourable! profession must not be exposed to reckless accusation on that or on any other I score. But a challenge has been issued j by the erection of a building, for | which it is urged that it is the com- 1 plefe solution or the housing problem which is strangling humanity in the Dominion. That challenge must be met. Humanity demands it, and the Government should set the lists and preside over the tournament, leaving professional men to do the jousting. The presidency could be delegated to a small commission of fair-minded men experienced in the ways of the world.