THE SEAMY SIDE OF NELSON.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12397, 12 November 1908, Page 2

THE SEAMY SIDE OF NELSON.

A V/ALK THROUGH TUE

"SLUMS."

Dmiug tha ro-jenl: controversy •vbich wns fanied on ip tliesV"°coC ■iinns 033 the ijusstion of License v. Xo Lieeusij, a statement was made by one of the correspondents, lit J. H. nulb*r), that slum's existed in Nelson, and the writer invited certain gentlemen to go with him to visit thes9 places: The invitation wa3 not accepted, but a rep/esentative of tbia paper asked Mr Hulbert if he would take him round the "slums" of Nelson, and he readily consented, a tdur of inspection bems made of some of the poorer classes cf houses in Nelson yesterday morning.

It seems incredible that "slums" s; oulil exist m Nelson, which is imo.vn throughout the leDgth and ureadth uf t;;is Dominim, aud even further aHe d, as "the gardeD city of New ZoaalnV nor do they, in the ordinary meaning of the word. There are no congested ureas, crowded tenements, drunken men and -I'men, and starving children, which are to be seen iv slums of the cities of the world, and in the largast towas of this country, but theie \ re many habitations in this town, occupied by the respectable poorer classes, which are really unfit to live in. For obvious reasons the localities of the various places visited, are pot disclossd. The iirst home visited was occupied by an old lady, wno is the widow of a Government official, w ho at one time occupied a <?nod position in the CJivil Service. When Mr Hulbert courteously explained _to her" that he was desirous of showing to the newspaper man the conditions under which many people lived in Nelsoo, the lady admitted the writer and Mr Hulb'ert to the house, and outhouse. The rent paid was 8s per week, while next door, where a woman and. family lived, in a cottage, similar in every respect, 10s 6d a week was paid for rent. The timber in both these places waa worm eaten and rotten. The first contained lour »mal] room?, the two largest beiag id feet by 8. Tbe ceilings were unlined, and there were no conveniences of any kind. Water was laid dn," but not "into the house. t,h« tap being situated some distance from the back door. There was a tire-place in one of the smaller rooms, and the occupant was tbe [fortunate possessor of a stove, wnicn was fixed in.

Tbe next place visited also contamed four rooms, in which a working man and his wife lived. The two largest rooms in this cottage were also ten feet by eight feet, the height from floor to ceiling being nine feet. As in the case of the other cottage, it was scrupulously clean, but there were no convenience such -as a copper, bath, or taps inpide. Seven shillings a week' was paid for rent. ' ■

Proceeding a short distance .a visit was paid to a- two-storeyed house, one half of which was occupied by a man and bis wife and family, and the ot-er naif by a single man.' The visitors received a shock in going to this place. It was indescribably dirty, the windows were broken, the paper was torn from the walls, through which the daylight streamed in places. The woman said that the tiousa was condemned three years ago, but no action bad been taken by the authorities. On this account the rent had bean reduced from five shillings to four shillings per week. The conditions were most insanitary to say tbe least.

"We pay six shillings a week rent for these three rooms, " said the woman at the next place visited. The window Id the bedroom, which was very smalls was almost falling out, and the other bedroom adjoining was dark and diagy. The living room was not much larger, and little better lighted, while in close proximity was a closet, not connected with the drainags system, and a sinK. A small addition was used as a shed, but there were no conveniences of any Kind. Tne walls of the rooms were covered with illustrated papers, and there was practically no bank yard.

Mr Hulbert assured our representative that there were many other placas in other parts of the city equally bad, for which even higher rents were beiDg paid, but these examples should be sufficient to show tbat the workers are not so well housed as some people are led to believe, and. that some efficient system of sanitary inspection in this city is required.