RAILWAY HOUSES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14006, 10 March 1920, Page 3

RAILWAY HOUSES.

PROGRESS OK THE SCHE.ME.. (Special to the Onmani Mnil.> WEF.UNOTOX. .March !t. Groat interest is being taken in Australian railway circles in tin-propo.-ils of Iho New Zealand Department, ami suggestions have lien made that Iho An- :ra!ian States should follow Xcw Zealand's lead in budding houses for their employees. "The Western Australian Railway Gazette " of 22nd .liinuarv. i'.''2!>. comments as follows:--

'■ln view- of the shortage of residences tor raihvaymen. especialiy in the GreatSontliern llistrit:t. the enlerjirise til the Xew Zealand Kaihvay Departmeiit ig itv hoii-dui; sthenic as outlinetl in the, •Ilaiiway Ueview' for ■January is of peculiar mUTf'sl to its at present : and the polity in prtii;ress in the Dominion is well worth notiiii; hy onr local aiithurl-

' t; "v' T A j Examination oi the-plans of the X'ew ! Zealand railway house shews a compact of rooms- Imilt on ' ilie plan til an English house with the , rooms enteriii'4 off a passage-way. ami -fior entering; off each other, which in • Am'""ic:m Illumes is very common, i The standard type hnilt at pre--1 sent contain-: kitchen. sittim; room. I liin-o hetlrooms. hath room. scullery. jam! wash-housf with copper and tulis j s»'t in. In addition an out-house is j provided for wood and coal. A hoi and j cold water-servito will hp installed in jeatii house. Electric, will he [iroI vided wherever it is available, and each house will have, in addition to the lijjhtini;. a connection for an electric iron. While the plans will, for the present, he of standard type, the outside elevations will be varied in design to relieve any menotonv. The houses will front on. to (jfift. roads in till eases where they front new roads laid out by the Department.

The seetitais Keiierally will baye a !'ronta<ie ofoOlt.. with ii depth of lOOft. In no case will the frontage he le.-s than Klft.

The Departmen't intends hi wirk on sound toivn-planuuit; lines. Where practicable each set i lenient will have its reserve for recreation. Tree plantiit.tr will be carried out hy experts en a w-II thought, out [dan. ' Natural features of landscape will bo taken ad.van- ■ !a;*i" of. antl the {jeneral conveniences re<|uirefl in such a settlement will be provided. Already considerable areas of land have bet.ut acniiircd at Franktou. .Taunifriimii. Ohnkune and other centres and plans for the laying out of thesn are beiirz urepareo. The fvaiwarra area is small ami 'rre■iitiar in its levels, and does not lend itself to effective planning, but it can he beautified by tree plant inn which will bo carried out at the earliest suitable time in tlie <rully running Uiroiijdi the centre of the property. *" " The. scene is a busv one. Many men. I drawn mostly from the wharves, are enI framed in cutting out the roads and pre- | nanus: the liouse sites. Tlie work is be- ; iii'i let on the most part bv contract. The huildimis also are gradually coining 1 into evidence. One is almost completed and three have been commenced. Be- ; fore the month closes it is hoped to have ei<:ht in coitr=e of erection. Others will follow as rapidly as'carpenters can lie found to take on the "contracts, v.-hioh are being let in working carpenters wlio are making excellent wages out of them. The contractors supnly only a small part of the niate'ri-J. the Government beinz responsible for all material which contractors are finding difficult to secure. "When all the contracts are arranged for. it is anticipated that hetwe«n Kaiwarra and the Thermion end of tbo station at least fifty railway houses will be provided—-no mean factor in the solution oMhe housing difficulty prevailing in Wellington.. As soon as these are built a start will he made "with another block in the vicinity of "Wellington.