NEW ZEALAND SLUMS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 143, 23 July 1914, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND SLUMS.

LECTURE BY MR READE.

The organiser of the Australasian town planning tour, Mr Charles C. Reade, gave the third of the series of lectures in the Canterbury College Hall last night, taking as his subject "Garden Cities v. New Zealand Slums and Suburbs."

Mr A. Kaye occupied the chair, as chairman of the Christchurcli Beautifying Association. There was a large audience, and an enthusiastic one, and the lengthy leeture

was listened to with the greatest"*of attention, Mr Reade's words being punctuated throughout by applause. In the same way, the numerous slides shown were heartily appreciated. In introducing the speaker, the chairman said that he was proud of his connection with the Beautifying Association. For the past 16 years that body had been trying in a small way to improve the city and do away with many undesirable features. The lecttirer said that the movement of which he was a disciple dated from the year 1898, when the first work on the improvement of great cities in England was published. The successes of Letchworth and Hampstead, both model communities, had started the spread of garden suburbs. The movement had now spread to the Continent, and Germany and other European States were well forward in their work. The society had been inundated with enquiries, and it had decided that tlie best way to cope with the enquiries was to send out emissaries who- could lecture on garden cities and town planning. Just at the time when our pioneers were thinking out their schemes of colonisation, many minds at Home we're busied with such schemes. Ebenezer Howard, who began his active -life as a shorthand reporter in the House ; of Commons, awoke to the fact that i sooner or later some remedies would have to be' sought for the overcrowding of the towns and the discomforts of the country villages. In the big cities it was no uncommon thing to find, people herded together in brick and mortar dwellings with no social amenities, no gardens, and no sanitary conveniences. There the children's only playground was the street, and their only soap, one might say, was sunlight. It was no uncommon thing to see 40 houses sharing one tap and one yard. Now_ the death rate had come down from 60" per thousand to 27 per thousand. Still it was too high and could be materially reduced. Howard was a dreamer, but he had wonderful ideas. He had scheme iror forming a town in the Country instead of trying to improve the slums of the bjg cities. This was how he worked out his garden city of Letchworth. They acquired their ground, 4000 acres, and round it they reserved a belt which was to be left untouched even if the town should expand. To grow it would have to spread beyond that belt. Outside this, again, there would be an agricultural belt which could be tilled and the produce from which would find' a ready market in the town. He fixed a factory area on the leeward side so that the smoke and fumes would not be carried over the town. These factories would provide the industries needed to employ the inhabitants. Right at their very door would be' their parks and their factories. In most of the large towns factories were built in many stories. At Letchworth they were spread out, airy, and comfortable. Now the town has upwards of 40 factories, all with plenty of room and fresh air. There was one slum house in Auckland, the lecturer said, as he showed a slide depicting it, which had been condemned. The owner, finding his rent gone, said that if he couldn't get any money from it as a dwelling he would let it as a factory. He did, and the law of the land permitted it. The First Garden City Limited (Letchworth) had been ridieuled by the British Press, and, although it started with less capital than it should have, it came out on top and for the past two years had made a profit of £3OOO. The fundamental -principle underlying the garden city scheme was the limiting of the number of houses to the acre.

Another great reform wrought was in the direction of making the roads narnow, often not more than 16ft in width. Someone had suggested to the speaker that such roads would be -of little use in New Zealand, for the reason that when planted with trees they would-not get any sun to >dry them. This was easily answered, for at Letehworth trees were planted in the gardens, the proper place for them. The houses were all 70ft back from the street, so ample air space was given. .A road 66ft in width was one of the contributing factors that went to raise rents. The main arterial roads taking the through traffic would, of course, be wider than 16ft. The main arterial road was metalled to a width of 30ft, but between the houses there was a space of 130 ft. Where two roads meet at an angle, a triangle is cut off and reserved so that traffic dangers are largely minimised or almost wholly doue away "with, ami extra breathing spaces are gained. Never are the houses built right up to the frontage. A cottage in Letehworth with three bedrooms, a living room, and a sittingroom, bathroom and scullery thrown in, could be reuted at a sum of 4/9 per week. The lecturer said that he wished it clearly understood that he did not come to New Zealand to attack any particular individuals when he discussed the matter of slums. It had been a vain and fatuous boast in New Zealand and Australia that there were no slums in these colonies. It was only in England where they had slums. The lecturer showed a great many slides illustrating the fallacy of such "a statement. He showed pictures of tiny backyards with one tap shared sometimes by ten houses. A four-roomed slum shanty in Dunedin was bringing in its owner 10/- per week. Something like 130 people to the acre were squatted down in slum areas of some New Zealand towns.

Mr Beade showed some pictures which gave horrifying evidence of the effects of New Zealand slums. In his wanderings he had seen poor children, untend-

Ed, underfed, unwashed, incarcerated in dirty back-yards amongst all the filthy of months. At a garden city measurements had been taken, and it was found that the children of Bournemouth were four inches taller and three inches bigger round the chest than children of a corresponding age in Birmingham. Mr Kaye, in thanking the lecturer mentioned that Mr Reade, in the course of a few months would do his best to return to New Zealand. He proposed a farewell but hearty vote of thanks to the representatives, and it was carried with enthusiastic applause: Mr Davidge, Mr Reade's fellow emmissary, said that unity in these matters was strength, and Christchurch should form, as Auckland and Wellington had, ,a town-planning association. The Beautifying Association would form an excellent nucleus and it. would only have to extend its work to the new suburbs -which were showing those incipient signs of '' slumdom.'' • With Mr Eeade he would like to thank everyone in Christchurch who had paved their way so well. The. Mayor, the corporation, and the officials of the University had given great help. A hearty vote of thanks was proposed for the chairman.