WARFARE ON SLUMS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19958, 27 November 1926, Page 7

WARFARE ON SLUMS.

I DEMAND FOR BETTER I HOUSING. I A DIFFICULT AXD IXTRI- ; CATE PROBLEM. STRONG COMMITTEE APPOINTED. From time to time during recent years strong dissatisfaction has been expressed in various quarters with the housing conditions in which many of our fellow citizens are compelled to five, but so far next to nothing has been done -> meet the urgent needs of the ease. A few good houses pul up py the City Council .mb- served to accommodate people turned out of houses (hat were pulled down to make room for the Highway, and they added to the number of available houses scarcely, if at all. A meeting of citizens interested in the pioluotion of a scheme tor the elimination of unsuitable and overcrowded housing areas was .summoned to bo held in the Council Chambers yesterday afternoon. The Mayor, Mr 11. Jj. 'lapiey, JM.l'., presided over a gathering oi about, 30 citizens, including two ladies. His Worship notified a number °i r apologies that had been received, j Hie Mayor said the meeting had been i called beenu,-e a number of citizens wero | taking a keen and enthusiastic interest in (ho removing of slum areas, lie reminded them that about two years ago a similar meeting was held, which set up a committee. 11ns committee met for some time, hut it did not arrive anywhere, 'the City I Council had borrowed certain sums of money and erected houses; and (hey had had hilocations that the housing problem was not so acute as it was two or three years' a"o But the difficulty did still exist. Wnat they V/, ere particularly concerned about was tile slum areas to bo found in the citv. Hns was not a very old city, but unfortunately it had not started out with a (own planning scheme. While the slum ureas were not very extensive, unless something was done to check them they would grow. Hie main object of this meeting was to set up a committee to go into the matter fully and bring down a report as to what they considered was best to be done. Do was sure tne City Council would welcome imv recommendations that could bo made. Hie committee would find when it wont into * mutter that, the position was a very difficult one, and a very large sum of money would be involved. C nfortunatel v our legislation did not, as they thouMit It should, provide for (ho con-demmii- (J f slums. In Dunedin they would have to pay compensation on condemned buildin"based on income derived from them by (he landlord. I’erhups they returned from 20 per cent, or 30 per cent., and they would nave to pay compensation on that amount, in I'.nglaiul a municipal council on (he representation of a health officer, could t-sue dosing orders or order the demolition Ol nisanitaiy properly without bavin- to ootain order from a niagisl ral e, andVomliciisatio" was given lor the land only and led, for (lie buildings beyond repaii. iu,.i w.-w one of die difficulties here that would have to he got over by fresh le-is-latmn. He hoped that with the influence of the conn,i,(tee (hat was to be set up [ they would be able to m-i legislation making I ■t easier for (hem to clear away these slums ! areas. They wished to bear Dr lieivu- i on this mailer because (his was a subject to which In- had given a great amount of attention, and he would never be sutisbed until he got rid of these slum areas Dr Hercus, who was warmly applauded, ; said In- had not come prepared to make a formal speech. Ho did not think it was The fact of (heir presence indicated their interest. The problem was a ; universal one found in all (he great cities '■ of the world, but universal and difficult 1 as the problem was that was simply a 1 challenge to them to give the matter still ; more (bought. (“Hear, hear.”) In no tense should that preliminary reverse of a < previous ct-mmi‘(ec make (hem feel dis- I cnnsrla'e or depressed. "This problm i exists," s :i id ]),- Herons. “it can be I solved, and we have got the men in Dun- i edin who can solve it.” If they could 1

once confront men with the importance of the problem,—even though wo were no worse than anybody else —surely we could give the world a lead if need be in tackling this problem.—{“Hoar, hear.’’) The fact that a previous committee had failed was simply an additional stimulus. There was no need for him to outline the con ditions. They were all familiar with them. Ho could safely say, without fear of con-

tradiction from those who knew, that wo had potential danger areas in this city which should not be there. The Mayor had made the point that the position might have been more acute two years ago, and doubtless he had facts to support that, but their contention was that the problem did exist. It not, why were these two-roomed hovels in_ back lanes still there? He was thinking of one block in which there were throe times as many houses as would be permitted by the Ministry of Health in Great Britain. There wore 75 children in that block, and they were not getting suffi ciont access of sunshine, and fresh air, to which they were entitled in this fair Do minion of ours. In that block there were two-roomed houses whore there were four people in a room. The houses in the little group ho was thinking of wore not weather proof, and had no direct access to sunshine or light. The whole environment was depressing in the extreme. No water was laid on. These wore (ho sort of conditions which brought them there that evening. Those surely were not the conditions in which we should put our citizens of to morrow. It was the children thcv were particularly interested in. Even though the old people wore satisfied, the young people must not bo brought up in that environment. They realised the difficulty of the problem, and how closely it was bound up with poverty and other groat social problems. They could not distinguish cause and effort and frequently the two wore reversed They niusr, break in somewhere into this vicious circle and here was a place whore they could break in. The council might say that it was not for it to pay for this, but bo said they wore paying for it indirectly. They desired to sot up a committee and trusted that it would have the aid of the council and the municipal staff in gathering such facts as wore desired and bringing the whole matter to a focus. They wanted improved legislation so that they might start oven if they took only one block a year and cleaned out all those diseaseproducing elements, and not only’ disease, but the depression of spirit and the monotony of outlook- that these places engendered. They' knew the elements involved in the problem: they saw the difficulties, and they' were convinced (hat something could be done. They were there ns an indication that they were willing to try ami give all the help they cm ild.— ( Applause.)

The Mayor said the counoil was entirely sympathetic, but it bad found this difficulty in the way. When people were taken out of the slums other houses must be found for them. But these people had been paying perhaps Ss a week, and a house could not be built that would cost less than £1 a week. These people themselves preferred to live in the shuns rather than pay the increased rent. The only thing to do was to (hid some means of making up the difference between what they could afford to pay and the actual rent that it would cost on the capital value. That was the trouble. That difference hud to be found somewhere, and whether it was the municipality’s job to do that, was a matter for consideration. Air F. IV, Mitchell said that those of them who had had the privilege of seeing (he facts and photographs in Dr Hcrcns's possession realised that this problem was very urgent, and also that it was very difficult. The Mayor put his finger on a eery difficult point when he mentioned (hat the amount of rent which these occupants were willhig or able to pay limited the capacity of the buildings into which they could be put. He believed that if public opinion could be roused as to the seriousness of the position .something would be done in the direction they all hoped for. The trouble was that these slums wero hidden away olf the main street, and were not seen. Some were otf George street. If they could have a display of (he facts and phonographs that Dr Hercus had he believed public opinion would be aroused. He moved—" That this meeting views with deep concern the unhealthy conditions in which a number of their fellow-citizens are compelled to live and rear families, as revealed by investigations of the health authorities, and pledges itself to do everything possible to remedy the existing state of affairs.”

ilr M. Stevenson seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. Mr J. Sutherland Ross said there had to be a starting-point to break in on a matter like this, and they felt the startingpoint should be that meeting. That meeting should break in to the vicious circle and do what it could to counter it. There were many difficulties in the way, and there was a lot of hard work ahead before they saw the much-to-be-desired state of affairs when Dunedin was free from slum areas. There was the question of legislation which would almost certainly be required. There was, of course, the over-present question of finance, and the question of suitable (files to move the families to whom Dr Hercus had referred. Still more difficult to his mind was the typo of individual they were up against who did not want to move, who was content with the conditions under which he was living and trying to bring up his family and also the “feckless” person whom nothing could rouse or make take an interest in bettering his conditions. Ho moved: —“That the ladies and gentlemen present bo appointed a Citizens’ Housing Committee with power to add to their number to forward the objects of the previous resolution, and Mr E. H. Though be asked to convene the first meeting of this committee, when the chairman and subcommittees shall he elected.” He said there was a lot of hard work involved, and there was no good having a chairman of the mittee who was merely a figure-bead. I They must have workers. | Mr K. C. Hazlctt seconded the motion j which was carried unanimously. Those present gave in their names andj addresses and arrangments were made for j holding a meeting. The Mayor expressed their indebtedness | to Dr Hercus. Ho hoped the committee; would evolve some scheme that would load to the elimination of all those slums, j “Once they are out,” ho said, “we will never lot them in again.” J The meeting closed with a vote of thanks j to the Mavo r for presiding.