THE SLUMS OF THE CITY.

NZ Truth, Issue 179, 21 November 1908, Page 4

THE SLUMS OF THE CITY.

The lower wage earners of this Empire City are, by force of circumstances, compelled to live as near as possible to Jthe seat of their employment, otherwise the greedy, grab-all landlords of Wellington could rest assured that respectable men , and their families would not rent the miserable hovels, misnamed houses, which are to 'oe found within that miserable stretch of the city, extending from Courtenay-place to Vivian-street, and much of which property is a disgrace to a civilised and democratic community such as we New Zealanders are wont tocall ourselves. Within this area arc to be found slum property which far exceeds m wretchedness and filth the slums of 'the' East En* of London or the nauseous area embraced m Wooloomooloo or the old-time Wexford-street stink holes of Sydney. Yet such is the condition of the "free and enlightened worker of this God's Own Country that .the wretched hovels are not only tenanted, but there is actually a clamoring for the miserable shanties by the wharf laborers and casual day laborers of this capital city of the most democratic country m the world, at least that is what Sir Joseph Ward tells, us New Zealand is. Of course, wherever slum properly t exists, there is' to be found living side by side with respecta'ole artisans, human derelicts and' vile wretches of the worst "> class, and the consequence is tnat the children of the respectable workers are always m constant danger of being contaminated by the foul brood which lives m the same locality. It is true that we have our Churches, o^ir Salvation Army, Bethels, Chinese missions and other alleged evan-' gelising institutions, but owing to the, smug respectability of the elders, leaders, parsons, and general chief -howlers who! have the control of these bodies,, they fail to follow m. the footsteps pf the Great Master to whom they profess allegiance by (going out i»to the byeways to rescue the fallen, who live m an atmosphere of Vile sin, as this would besmirch their' own lilywhite characters',' and respectability. Little do these hypocrites value the lesson of the Master when confronted with the Jtn* m regard to the women taken m adultery, "Let he who is without sin cast the first- stone' has no meaning for these fanatical turners who neat a big drum but never enter one for 'the purpose pf carrying on rescue work. If these notoriety seekers would only be ./true to their profession, "Truthf would receive less complaints from respected citizens who may be poor-but who still claim the right "'■, of protection from evil-doers. This week two respected lady residents of Little Taranaki-street called atf "Truth" office and described certain happenings which have taken place m the street and which reflect the gueatest discredit on the City Council, which has power to act under the by-laws, and the Police, who are armed with authority under the Police Offences Act. One of the ladies is Mrs Tattle, the wife of a wharflaborer, who has five children, the eldest of which has not yet reached the age of seven ; and the other is.Mrs Reitz, an elderly lady who goes out daily working for various respected citizens as a laundress. On election night there was a hell of a row m the street, caused by the inmates and friends and casual acquaintances of a house tenanted by a cove named Widdis and his missus. Whether the place is a common brothel or merely a resort for the casual female and her equally casual male acquaintances, "Truth" cannot say, but there are four women, a little boy of five- years of age, and the hulking Widdis himself m the house 1 , and never a stroke of work does any one of them do. On election night seven British Bull-dogs from the men-o'-war m the harbor were piloted to the Widdis anchorage and the row that ensued was awfuL Tne«o

gallivanting sailors made the night hideous, and from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. the respectable residents of the street were afraid to go to bed, as during that time the scum and drunken fiends who emerged from the harbor of Widdis played Old Harry with the windows, and several residents had almost the whole of their window panes knocked m. The language was hoirible and sufficient sulphurous matter was emitted to knock Stromboli m eruption into a cocked hat. One man was hurled out on his pink car without hat, coat or waistcoat, and his prayers and cursings' were something to be remembered. Mrs Tattle, whose husband was working at the time, was m a terrible state. She had. her five bairns to look after and try to pacify, and what with the language, the boisterous rowdyism, and the general horseplay that was carried on, the poor woman was almost m hysterics, \yhat the police were doing, this journal does not know, but it learns that the officer m charge of the Mannersstreet Police Station notified the owner of the premises to get rid of his verminous tenants a month ago, but they still remain— a pest and a danger to the respectable citizens of the street. What "Truth" would like to know, however, is why this child of fiye years is allowed to be dragged up m the midst of such a contaminated atmosphere. Surely it is the duty of the police, to remove the child from his parents' control, on the grounds that they are not fit and proper persons to have charge of a child. "Truth" will have something further to say m regard to this and other similar cases, but m the meantime it is to be hoped that some effort will be made on . the part of the police to effect a much-desired remedy.