FARMING IN NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 71, Issue 4, 15 October 1945, Page 357

FARMING IN NEW ZEALAND

NEW Zealand has not developed any particular style of housing for farm homes, and although many homes are well designed and equipped, there are also many that lack modern conveniences, and others that have been built from plans designed to suit urban rather than rural requirements. This article by Norma Metson, Rural Sociologist, Department of Agriculture, Wellington, traces the general development of farm housing in the Dominion, discusses some of the more important aspects of planning and siting farm houses, and outlines the information which needs to be collected to help z in planning homes which will be suitable for the family and business requirements of the farmer.

EVEN those who quarrel with the definition of a house . as “a machine for living in” f must admit that this phrase summarises very effectively an important set of ideas. For a house should be planned in accordance with the needs of the family which is going to live in it; its rooms should be designed as a convenient frame for the activities which are to be carried on in them. The farm house in particular needs this type of functional planning, because in addition to being the family home, it is the centre of many tasks directly connected with the work of the farm. Even where there has been no deliberate “planning” in the modern sense of the word, the different types of rural life and the use of available materials have produced distinctive and appropriate homes, ranging from the felt tents of the Asiatic nomads to the mellow brick manor houses of Elizabethan England. Today, many new kinds of materials are being developed, it is relatively simple to transport them, and it is easy for people to become familiar with the architecture of other countries, so that traditional local styles are being modified, or even disappearing altogether. In the areas which are more advanced, economically and socially, the best features of the older style may be kept, and successfully incorporated. in houses of a newer and more scientific design, or they

may be completely discarded as too old-fashioned, to be replaced by the modern or modernistic. On the other hand, the break with tradition may lead to buildings which . are' nondescript in appearance, and have no particular suitability for their purpose. New Zealand, for various reasons, ■ has not developed any really satisfactory style of domestic architecture, nor is there at present much difference to be observed in homes in different climatic regions, or on different types of farms, apart from the inevitable distinction between properties where the importance of the house and its .surroundings to family life is recognised, and those where it is ignored.

THE FIRST SHELTERS

Lack of stone and bricks, the traditional English building materials, was one of the first difficulties encountered by the New Zealand colonists, and there are frequent accounts in pioneering reminiscences of

“huts built with the aid of friendly Natives,” and using, naturally, the materials of which the Maoris made their own whares. European customs, however, demanded some modification of design, to allow for interior partitions and more height, space, and light. The following account, dated 1840, is typical: —

On arrival we found temporary shelter in a tent made of ship’s sails, divided into sections by piling up boxes and hanging blankets. Here we had to sit for days with umbrellas up to keep off the rain. Later a wattle . and daub hut was built with the aid of friendly Natives. This hut was of the usual type erected by the first settlers. The walls were of flax leaf and toi-toi laced in and out of a framework of saplings, and then daubed with clay. The fireplace was of stones, the chimney of . supplejack plastered with clay. Windows were of calico or wooden shingles, with flax mats to . cover the floors. The scanty furniture was contrived out of boxes. When her husband apologised for the shortcomings of this whare, the woman whose home it was to be reassured him, saying, “What more do I want? I can walk about in it without bending. I can" cook inside, if required.”*

Other materials used in these whares were wheat straw, tree ferns plastered with mud, raupo, and totara bark. ' '

The period of fusion of Maori and pakeha design was, however, brief. The whares were regarded as purely makeshift by most of the settlers, and it was not long before the abundant timber resources of the country were utilised and houses of pit-sawn boards or split logs erected, usually two rooms with a wide, open hearth. These

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rooms were often added to later, and, as the first dwelling for a farm in the making, the type has persisted. In some areas, Canterbury particularly, lack. of timber caused the development of sod and cob . houses, which made use of the only plentiful materials, the earth and the native grasses. Rectangular sods were cut and used as bricks, bonded together with a “mortar” of earth and water, for the building of walls. The roof was a wooden framework thatched with tussock, snowgrass, or reeds. The walls were smoothed inside and whitewashed, and the earthen floor tramped hard. For cob houses the earth was puddled with water and the mixture packed into. a wooden boxing, which was afterwards removed, leaving solid walls; or moulded into large bricks which were left to dry in the sun and then built up into walls, again cemented with mud. A proportion of

■chopped tussock or flax was sometimes added to the cob mixture. A further variation was the “slab, cob, and ticker” construction the space between an outer wall of timber slabs and an inner lining of saplings was filled with cob. As with the whares there, was a typical plan, a main room which had a door in the centre of one wall, with a window on either side of it; and a huge cob chimney with an open hearth taking up most of another

wall. Opening from this room were smaller apartments, sometimes arranged in a straight line, sometimes at right angles or as lean-tos. In some of the larger houses of this > type an attic was built under the roof for extra sleeping or storage space, with a ladder or staircase from one of the lower rooms leading up to it. A few settlers brought wooden houses with them, complete with panes of glass for the windows, and bricks for the chimney. It was supposed to be possible to erect these in a few days, but several complaints are recorded that weeks rather than days were required.

THE HOMESTEADS After the earliest pioneering days more substantial homes appeared. In some cases the settlers were able to build fine homes soon after their

arrival; in most the transition from hut to homestead was more gradual, keeping pace with the expanding size of the family and the progress of their fortunes. These early homesteads,

built by the wealthier settlers and carrying on so far as was possible in a sparsely-settled country the. traditions of English country houses, possessed many pleasing features. They were well and soundly built, some few from brick and stone, but the majority from wide weather-boards with shingle or tile roofs, later replaced by corrugated iron. In exterior appearance and interior finish they

maintained high standards of craftsmanship and good design. The sites were chosen with care, particularly in relation to sun and view, and gardens were planned to form an appropriate setting for the house. One . unfortunate feature, ■ however, was that many of ' the trees planted for shade and shelter grew, in New Zealand’s milder climate, much more rapidly and much larger than was expected, so that they tended to crowd in upon the houses, making them damp and gloomy even in . summer, and constituting a real danger in gales and thunderstorms. Such houses were largel2 to 20 rooms being usual for the twostoreyed types and up to 10 for the one-storeyed. In addition, there were often attics and outbuildings of various kinds, while wide front halls, folding doors between rooms, and verandahs connected to the living rooms with

french doors increased the space available for living and particularly entertaining. Indeed, it was not uncommon to have one room large enough for, and known as, a “ballroom.” All the rooms were large by present-day standardsbedrooms 16ft. square, living rooms 20ft. x 24ft., and the big kitchen was usually supplemented by a scullery almost as big, and one or more pantries which were rooms in themselves. The height of these rooms —a 10ft. to 12ft. —and their many windows added to their air of spaciousness. Wide verandahs extended along two or three sides of most houses, but balconies upstairs were not so. common. In addition to a back, front, and sometimes a side entrance opening into passages, many rooms had french doors which opened directly outside or on to the verandahs. .

Many of the larger two-storey-ed houses had two or even three staircases. The main stairs, usually one long straight flight, led from the front hall to the main rooms above; the back stairs darker, narrower, and often twisted opened from a back passage or kitchen and gave access to back bedrooms or attics. Occasionally, in accordance with the English tradition, the back premises kitchen, scullery, storerooms, and serva n t s ’ quarters —■ were

shut off from the rest of the house by heavy doors or a long passage. Indeed this relegation of the kitchen and working areas to the back of the house, almost invariably the south side, and so cold and sunless, was the chief defect in the planning of these homes. This was accepted in an age when domestic work was regarded as something rather degrading, to be performed by servants and hidden as far as possible, but this is no longer the case; Under modern conditions it is the homemaker herself who spends most of her time in the kitchen, which frequently is also the mealroom and part-time living room for the whole family. In the same way the very large kitchen and adjoining service rooms, which provided necessary space for several workers, mean merely extra and unnecessary steps for someone working alone. Lack of

Early Shelter

Cottages

domestic help, smaller families, high building costs, and other factors make very large houses impracticable or undesirable under modern conditions, but there are many characteristics of these early styles which we could retain with advantage, and the onestoreyed and smaller two-storeyed types need little modification to make them conform to modern standards.

THE COTTAGE

Although the large homesteads, with their size and .dignity, dominated the early scene, they were not by any means the majority of the homes. Most people advanced from a tworoomed shelter to a cottage, which might be no more than two rooms and a lean-to, or, on the other hand, might be a substantial 6- or 8-roomed dwelling. Hursthouse, whose comprehensive survey of New Zealand life was published in 1861, describes such homes as follows: — Most of the country or farm houses are wooden buildings of the one-storeyed verandah cottage type. In this land of brick and stone we are apt to picture a wooden cottage as being a poor, flimsy band-box sort of thing. But in such a climate as New Zealand’s these cottages may be made very comfortable dwellings, while neatly-painted, backed by trees, or embowered in gardens, their verandahs covered with jassamine, rose, peach, or vine, they often present ' an air of rustic elegance and sparkling beauty to which many of the stuccoed villas, and “bell and brass knocker” deformities of English villages can make no possible pretensions. The details he gives of building costs are very interesting, and “A substantial verandah cottage, 32ft. square, containing say two front rooms 14ft. x 18ft. and two back rooms 14ft. x 14ft., with a kitchen detached (amply large enough for a family of half a dozen) might now cost from £l5O-£2OO if made of wood. Cob would be about one-third cheaper.” Hursthouse’s plan is typical, but there were several variations of this type. Depending on their construction, the original two rooms might form either the lean-to or part of the main portion of the larger house. Sometimes the new house was never properly built, but two more lean-to rooms were put in front of or behind the original lean-to. Sometimes, if the family was prospering or the

original home was hopeless, a whole new place was built. In some districts, particularly around Nelson, twostoreyed cottages were characteristic, the attic space under the pointed roof being utilised for, bedrooms by building out dormer or gable windows, but they still remained cottages. . Homes like these have been built in considerable numbers, right up to the present day. Room for modern conveniences, such as bathroom or washhouse, is usually made by extending the lean-to area a little further, and one end of the verandah may be closed in to form a sunporch, but the essentials remain ' the same. Large groups of such houses, built 60 or more years ago, are now deteriorating rapidly, due to the effects of the weather and borer infestation, and are among those homes most urgently in need of replacement.

TOWN HOUSES

In later Luilding. some modifications of style are found. Particularly around 1900, when farms were well established in many districts and transport easier, the desire for better houses and town comforts led only too often to the • erection of “town houses” quite unsuitable for country conditions. Standards of design in particular deteriorated during the late Victorian period, and many New Zealand houses of this era approached the “bell and brass knocker deformities” which . Hursthouse deplored. Some of the least-desirable features of such houses were the small windows; the small narrow front verandah; the disregard for sun in planning so that main rooms often had all windows facing south; lack of sufficient space and shelter in the kitchen back-door section of the house; and far too much unnecessary decoration on the outside of the house. After the 1914-18 war villas went out of fashion, and a bungalow style was adopted for almost all new dwellings. Sash windows were replaced by casements, verandahs by sunporches; rooms became smaller and lower, roofs less steeply pitched. In more recent years a few modernistic houses have also been built. The best examples of present-day farm housing combine good functional planning with a simple and pleasing exterior, but too many new houses lack one or both of these essentials.

Houses Built about 1900

Growth of a Farm House

ADDITIONS

It is natural for a farm house to grow. A large and fully-equipped house is too big- a strain on capital resources for most people to afford in the initial stages of developing a property. Nor can a farm family pack up and shift to a larger house as the family increases. Provision for more accommodation and the installation of additional conveniences are two of the biggest problems of farm housing. The form of the additions naturally depends on what the original house is like, and unfortunately too many farm houses were, and are, built in such a way that extra rooms cannot be made to look as though they really belong. Apart from the growth of the cottage which has been outlined above, growth occurred in other ways. In the square, one-storeyed house type, with verandah' on three sides, the commonest method was to build in part of the wide verandah. One or two additional rooms would thus be made, usually at the front corners, or 'right at the back. A parallel to this is found at the present day when many people are building in the ends and corners of open verandahs to make sunporches. Lean-to con- . struction was also widely used, particularly at the back of the house, for adding bathroom, washhouse, storage space, or an “outside room” for the accommodation of farm help. It was not uncommon for the new set of living rooms and bedrooms to . be built in front of the original house, which would then be used for a kitchen and storage area for a varying period of years, before being replaced by a new structure built along the back of the other new rooms. New materials were frequently used to make additions. The original house roofed with shingles, the lean-to with corrugated iron, wooden porches and rooms built on to cob and stone, and brick and corrugated iron chimneys replacing clay are all found. Houses were sometimes enlarged by building on another half or whole storey, especially if there- was considerable space under the roof which could be converted into extra bedrooms by building gables, but two-storey houses, except in the old homesteads and some of the larger modern homes, are not common in New Zealand country districts.

MODERN HOUSING

Modern developments in housing are of extreme importance for the farm home. Emphasis on functional plan-

ning—building a house round the people who live in it and their activitiesfocuses much-needed attention on how best to combine the farm house as the family home, and the farm house as part of the business and productive organisation of the farm. Electricity, almost universally ■ available, means new freedom in planning rooms and the introduction of laboursaving devices. Prefabrication offers a possible solution to some of the problems of building in remote areas, and of . making essential fittings less expensive. New materials such as reinforced concrete panels for structural use, and wall-board, . enamel paints, and plastic .for, interiors should reduce costs and increase : convenience. Because of war conditions very many new houses in New ; Zealand have suffered from shortage of some desirable materials and equipment, and from high building costs, which frequently make compact planning and minimum area an economic necessity. It is probable that shortages of materials, particularly imported ones, will continue; and as New ■: Zealand timber supplies are limited the possibilities of using other materials need to be investigated. Cob, for example, is suitable for dry areas, and cob houses can be made both durable and attractive. At present the essentials of a modern house are found in its equipment rather than its structure. No house can be considered modern which does not have electric light

and power available; a kitchen with stove, sink, and adequate storage space for food and utensils; a fullyequipped bathroom and washhouse with running water (hot and cold) and drainage, and an indoor lavatory and sanitary sewage disposal. Electricity brings a solution to many of the most pressing problems of making a farm home convenient and easy to run. If it is used for cooking and water-heating, it may modify the whole design of the farm kitchen. By providing a convenient method for heating the other rooms of the house it considerably increases their usefulness and comfort, although open fires are so popular that they are likely to remain the chief method for heating the main living rooms. Fuel stoves, too, remain in favour, especially in districts where wood is plentiful on the farm, but an electric cooker, if it can be afforded, is often regarded as a desirable supplement. Prefabrication, if widely adopted, will lead to some standardisation of design and fittings, especially those for bathroom and kitchen. Careful consideration should therefore be given to the correct location of these and other rooms in relation to the special needs of farm homes.

FARM HOUSING REQUIREMENTS Standards for farm housing should be just ■as high as those for urban housing, but the actual requirements for the two types are not the same.

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The farm house is the scene of many productive domestic activities. Large quantities of food are stored, prepared, cooked, and preserved for winter use. Some poultry and dairy products are usually handled, and all meals have to be provided for those members of the family, and possibly employees, who are working on the farm. The back and possibly side entrances are used far more frequently than the front, and it is most important that they should be placed conveniently in relation to the farm drive and buildings. The home is also the business centre, so it must have some place suitable for keeping records and accounts and for business interviews. The cycle of family life must also be considered, because the house is permanently attached to the property and cannot be abandoned for a more suitable one as the family grows and prospers. Farm houses, therefore, should always be planned to allow for additions to be made easily, or so that some of the rooms can be shut off if not needed. Accommodation within the house for farm workers or domestic help is frequently necessary.

keeping chickens warm to doing the family washing , and ironing. The kitchen itself is primarily a place for dealing with food. It may contain everything that is necessary or may have in addition any or all of the following: —Pantry, storeroom (s), scullery, and dining-room. It is not usual to have copper or wash-tubs in the kitchen in New Zealand homes; if a two-purpose room is necessary, it is more often a combination of washhouse and bathroom. It is much more desirable, however, if at all possible to have a separate bathroom equipped with bath and basin. If necessary, this can be made to open on to the back porch. Space . for storing working clothes and gumboots and such things as small tools and garden supplies, and a place for workers to wash before coming into - meals, are all essential near the back door. There are several ways of providing this. The washhouse may be enlarged so that, together with a small back porch, it is big enough for all these uses. The washhouse may be left small, and a large enclosed back porch provided or a separate “utility room” may be planned for. An adequate supply of hot and cold water, properly’piped to and drained from kitchen, bathroom, and washhouse, is the greatest possible laboursaving device. Adequate water also makes it possible to have a w.c. and septic tank. If there is only one w.c. it must be placed so that it can be

reached from outside without going through the houseoff the back porch or in a compartment in the washhouse are the usual locations. A second w.c. in the house is an added convenience; if it is necessary to save space it may be put in the bathroom, b corage for a reasonable quantity of fuel should be provided under the same roof as the house, and there should also be a large meatsafe in a cool and convenient place. A roof built out over one entrance to the house so that a car can be unloaded under cover is desirable, though not essential. It is essential that a reasonable area round the back door, and paths to nearby outbuildings, should be hard surfaced, preferably, concrete, and that a length of clothesline should be accessible from them. There should also be some provision for drying clothes indoors, especially if there are children in the family. A small house cannot afford space for a separate dining room; in most farm homes everyday meals are served in the kitchen, and if other dining space is wanted, the living room is used. This arrangement is not practicable, however, if the living room is a long way from the kitchen and is of the “parlour” type. In some larger homes living and dining areas are combined in one large room, but separated by a partial wall, sliding doors, or an L-shaped arrangement. This type of plan is very suitable where there is a considerable amount

Finally, farm homes are often isolated, so that most of the family’s social and leisure activities are carried on in and around the home, particularly in the winter. Isolation will also make transport of material and labour for building and upkeep expensive, and this may be a determining factor in the choice of original building materials. Also it means that problems of water supply, sanitation, and power must be solved on an individual basis.

These general requirements must be translated into terms of the arrangement and use of rooms in the house, and the provision of specific equipment and facilities, together with such basic essentials as sound construction and sufficient total space to prevent overcrowding. A kitchenwork area, a living room, and three bedrooms are really necessary to allow for working, living, and sleeping for a family with children. In a smaller house possible alternatives are to combine kitchen and living areas in one large room or to make provision for sleeping in the living room.

The first essential of the kitchenwork area is that it should be large enough to cope with the maximum demands made upon it. These include cooking and serving meals for the whole family and any regular workers, with greater numbers at seasonal rush periods; storing adequate supplies of foods which cannot be purchased frequently, or which have been preserved for winter needs; providing space for small children to play, and casual visitors to sit; and a hundred other things ranging from

* | A HIS house was built only three years ago, and is an 1 example of thoughtful and successful modern planning for a large farmhouse (total floor area nearly 1,500 sq. ft.). The house is planned in units, rather than individual rooms, so that the sleeping rooms are in one wing, the living rooms in another, and part of the service area in another, with the kitchen and bathroom in the central position. This means that different activities can be carried on without conflicting, and yet the rooms are grouped in such a way that there is no lost space. The arrangement of the back porch and washhouse is convenient for workers coming inside, as the washhouse includes a hand basin and lavatory and there is space for storing coats and boots. The porch is closed by a sliding glass door, and there are windows along the wall, so there is protection from wind but no exclusion of sun or light. The large storeroom, which includes a safe, is near the kitchen, and is particularly suitable for the needs of a country home. The kitchen is also the passageway between the back and' front of the house, but the two doors are both at one end of the room so that the main work space is not broken

by cross traffic. Ample cupboards are built on two walls and the sink bench has drawers, • cupboards, and bins below it. Above the sink an extensive window gives a view of distant hills, as well as of the back garden and yard. The stove, an electric heat-storage model, is set in a niche between cupboards, and has an airing rack built above. There is space for a table for everyday meals, while the location of dining and living rooms in relation to the kitchen makes it easy to serve meals when entertaining visitors. The bedrooms have capacious built-in wardrobes and are near the bathroom. The siting of this house to secure sun in the different rooms at the times when it is most usually desired presents some difficulties. The arrow indicates the actual situation. Alternatively, with minor alterations in the plan, the front of the house, or the living and dining rooms, could face north. This house applies general principles of planning which make for livability and convenience to meet the needs of one set of family circumstances.

KEY: W Wardrobe. C Cupboard. F Fireplace. T = Tubs. Sb Shelves. Sa Safe. 1 Washing machine. 2— Hand basin. 3 = Sliding glass door. 4 = Sink bench, bins, etc., below. 5 “ Stove. 6 = Built-in fittings, cupboards in kitchen, sideboard in dining room. 7 Electric hot water service. 8 = Shower. 9 Built-in seat.

of entertaining. A good fireplace in the living room is essential. Bedrooms should be arranged to secure privacy, sunshine, and convenient access to the bathroom. Adequate wardrobes should be built v in. It is very desirable that bedrooms for older children should be large enough to allow for activities other than sleeping. If it is necessary to provide accommodation for a farm worker in the house, it is convenient for that room to have a separate entrance. Sunporches are a popular feature in any home, and depending on their location, and the needs of the family, are used as additional sleeping or living areas. A sunporch is useful where there are small children, because it makes a convenient nursery and play space, and where there are elderly people who must sit about a lot and require warmth; in colder climates it is valuable in making the best use of sparse winter sunshine. If, however, the whole house is planned with due regard for sun and plenty of windows, a sunporch may not be as useful as an extra room. Verandahs are more appropriate to warm than to cold districts, as an open verandah on the sunny side of the house helps to keep the rooms cool in summer, and, provided it is sheltered from wind, it is a good place to sit in winter sunshine. A shady verandah is a pleasant place to sit in summer, but as farm working hours are long and most of the family spend a large proportion of their time outside, extensive provision for outdoor living associated with the house is unnecessary. Back verandahs are, however, extremely useful as passageways to washhouse,, storerooms, etc., and as extra working or temporary storage space. The main factors to be considered in choosing a site for a farm home are: Reasonable access to the road and the rest of the farm; drainage and water supply; shelter from prevailing . winds; suitable soil for a garden; sun; view; safety for children. A site on rising ground usually gives the best drainage, view, and sunshine, , and is to be preferred unless it has other serious disadvantages.

STATE ASSISTANCE IN RURAL HOUSING* It is interesting to note that the first State assistance to housing, empowered by the Advances to Settlers

Act, 1894, “enabled the State to lend citizens £25 to £2,500 to erect buildings on freehold or on Crown Leasehold land which was not urban or suburban, the advance not to exceed -fifths of the value of the security.” Urban and suburban lands were included in 1899. Separate acts in 1905 and 1906 enabled the State to build workers’ houses for lease or sale and to make loans to assist workers to build their own homes. The important Housing Act of 1919 changed the administration of State aid to housing by establishing a Housing Board and a Housing Superintendent under the control of the Ministry of Labour. Three major avenues of State activity were set out. ■ . (a) To build homes for lease or sale. (b) To advance money to local authorities which they could use for building municipal houses or for advancing to individuals who wished to build their own homes. (c) To advance money for homebuilding direct to individuals. In 1922 the familiar State Advances organisation appeared. After that no further important action was taken until the inauguration of “State housing” in 1936, followed in 1939 by the Rural Housing Act, which it will be necessary to discuss a little more fully. . . ' , Where sufficient capital is not immediately available the normal way of financing home-building is by mortgage loan, obtained from a private individual, a financial : institution, or the State. Such arrangements have been available to farmers in the past, but have not been adequate for their needs. The 1939 Act empowers local authorities to advance money • to a farmer to enable him to provide a dwelling for his own use,

I Source: N.Z. Official : Year Book. Section Building and Construction.

or for the use of any farm worker principally employed by him. The act is administered by the local authority (usually the County Council) and the State Advances Corporation, which makes the money available for loan to the local authority in the first place. The rate of interest charged is 3-| per cent, and the loans are limited to £1,250. Provision is made for repayment by equal instalments over 15 to 25 years. Further service is provided in helping with the actual building. The corporation has issued booklets of suggested plans, and if one of these is chosen, a . triple set of working plans and specifications is provided for a small fee. Assistance is given in the business of arranging for tenders to be called, and inspection by the local authority is required before progress payments are made during the period of construction. Those who wish to do so may of course provide their own plans. Co-operative dairy, companies also may use this scheme to provide houses for their employees. Up to the end of 1943, 66 counties had borrowed £744,550 for use in this way, and 321 approvals for building had been issued. In 1943-44, 323 approvals were granted, making a total of 644. These figures may be compared with those for the total number 'of new private dwellings built in rural areas in recent years as shown in the following table: —

THIS house (built in 1928) shows an arrangement typical of many farm houses, as compact buildings like this are economical to construct. The house is now larger than it was originally, as a new detached washhouse and lavatory have been built and the space they formerly occupied in the house converted to a bedroom and pantry. A semi-detached bedroom of this kind is useful in a farm home if accommodation is needed for a single man working on the place, but the convenience of having everything under one roof has been lost. This points to the necessity for planning farm houses which can be added to easily if it becomes necessary. The division of scullery and kitchen means that most of the work is done in the scullery, and the kitchen then becomes more a meal and living room, an arrangement which may be preferred in a small home, though moving between the two rooms adds to the work of the housewife. When the scullery is also used as a passageway the doors make it difficult to arrange the room satisfactorily. The central hall gives good access to all the other rooms. KEY: W =. Wardrobe. C Cupboard. F = Fireplace. R Range (fuel). Sa ~ Safe S = Coal store. H =. Hot water cylinder and cupboard.

A Small Farm Home

Radio Broadcasts

RADIO talks to farmers will be given from Station 1 YA, Auckland, at 7.15 p.m. on the following dates :— November 5, “Work on the Farm for the Coming Month,” by E. B. Glanville, Acting Fields Superintendent, Department of Agriculture, and P. S. Syme, Instructor in Agriculture, Warkworth. November 12, “The Work of the Rural Development Division,” by P. W. Smallfield, Director, Rural Development ' Division, Department of Agriculture, Wellington.

In 1938 the Maori Housing Amendment Act established a Maori housing scheme under the control of the Board of Native Affairs. Provision was made for the erection of dwellings and their disposal by sale or lease,, subject to certain restrictions. Because of war conditions the need for temporary accommodation .on farms became acute, and up to March 31, 1941, almost 1,000 Public Works huts were supplied. A more recent scheme, introduced towards the end of 1944, provided for the offer of Army huts for temporary accommodation and for single men and two standard type houses where permanent dwellings were required. Erection and fitting are carried out by the Housing Construction Department, and if the buyer cannot pay cash or arrange a mortgage, a State . Advances loan can be made available. Temporary dwellings could be leased. Part of the present rural housing problem consists of insufficient houses. The 1936 Census figures are as shown below; — OCCUPIED, OVERCROWDED, AND UNOCCUPIED HOUSES IN RURAL AREAS. Rural Dwellings Total Occupied. Overcrowded. Unoccupied. 113,597 2,289 3,700 Total population and (more significant) the number of separate families have, however, increased since then. A second part of the problem is houses in the wrong places; there ate habitable houses on abandoned farms and in villages which are ‘‘‘going back.” Finally, there are large numbers of houses which are habitable, but provide accommodation far below modern standards of comfort and convenience.

FARM HOUSING SURVEY

The Department of Agriculture is at present preparing to undertake a fairly extensive survey of farm housing. Social research of this kind has been neglected in New Zealand, and although it is obvious that the rural housing situation is a serious problem, there is little reliable information available on which a long-term policy of improvement could be based. The information being asked for is of two types—first, factual information about, existing conditions, and second, information about the things which people feel they need and want most in their homes. The survey is concerned particularly, too, in obtaining the interest and opinions of farm women, because so many existing houses, although sound and well built, are inconvenient and badly planned for working and living.

Questions on existing conditions will cover such points as the size, condition, and age of the house; the number of people living in it permanently, or who have to be catered for periodic-

ally; and what alterations or changes, if any, are most desired. As a good deal of needed information which would otherwise mean long lists of questions can be obtained from a plan of the house, it is hoped that those taking part in the survey will cooperate by drawing rough sketch plans of their houses. Water supply, drainage, sanitary arrangements, and the use of electricity are four other important problems, because the extent to which these are satisfactory determines very largely the comfort and convenience of the house, and it is here that farm families experience most difficulty in maintaining standards which town people take for granted. Education and. assistance are both necessary to improve the situation, and to be most effective they must be based on detailed and widespread knowledge. Questions about what people have in their homes are relatively straightforward and simple, both to ask and to answer. Questions about likes and dislikes, needs and desires, are more difficult to deal with, but equally essential in this case. The Department hopes that one of the ways it will be able to help in overcoming housing problems will be by preparing plans of houses which will be suitable for different types of farms and different-sized families. When complete these plans will be made available as suggestions to farmers who are building homes for themselves or their employees. An architect planning a house for an individual family can consult them

directly about their likes' and dislikes. Plans prepared for wide circulation must be based on generally-expressed preferences, and it is extremely important to know if people really do want electric stoves, or if the general usefulness of the fuel range makes it more popular for farm kitchens; what are considered the most convenient places to have meals and keep the baby’s pram; how big should the kitchen be; are built-in wardrobes in bedrooms considered more useful than built-in cupboards in the kitchen, and so on. The same amount of money and materials expended can produce houses very different in exterior appearance and interior plan. In some cases builder, electrician, or plumber can say that one particular arrangement is superior and should be adopted; in others the technician’s job is to carry out, as effectively as possible, the wishes of the people who are going to live in the house. It is generally agreed that lack of convenient, or even adequate, houses is keeping many otherwise willing workers off the land, and also adding greatly to the burdens of the country wife and mother. The proposed survey will show where overcrowding is worst; if there are many houses where minor rearrangements or additions would add considerably to “livability”; what conveniences are most needed and most desired, and what arrangements have been found most or least satisfactory in houses at present occupied. A town housing survey was

TYPICAL HOUSE TO BE ERECTED ON AREAS FOR SETTLEMENT OF EX-SERVICEMEN.

r I 'HIS is one of the plans being used by the Housing Construction Department for resettling ex-servicemen. It is a compact three-bedroom house, including all modern conveniences and designed to provide adequate accommodation for a family.

The back entrance has a lobby with a wash basin, storage space, and doors leading to the w.c., laundry, and the passage which gives access to all the other rooms of the house. The kitchen is equipped with a fuel range (or in reticulated areas an electric stove if desired), built-in dresser, and large ventilated safe, and has space

made as long ago as 1936. It probably will not be possible for the survey to be . carried . out by personal interviews, but it is hoped that all those who agree to receive questionnaires will co-operate by answering them as fully and accurately as possible, and returning them as’ requested. ; The .main survey, will be carried out through interested country women’s organisations. It is expected that. meetings will be arranged for field officers to explain and distribute questionnaires, and possibly further discussions will be held at each centre

for a meal table, so that the living room need not be used for meals. The living room opens on to the front porch, but the doors are arranged so that there should be no direct draught. All the bedrooms have built-in wardrobes, and can accommodate two single beds. Windows are placed so that all* rooms of the house will receive sunshine. If necessary, it would be possible to extend the passage and build additional bedrooms, although the kitchen and. living space would not be sufficient for a much larger family.

when the questionnaires are being returned after they have been, filled in. . .. Acknowledgments Acknowledgments and thanks are expressed to the farm families who co-operated in supplying plans, photographs, and information about their homes; and to the Department of Housing Construction for drawing plans.

* “Brave Days”—W.D.F.U. Collection of Pioneering Reminiscences, p. 87.

NOTE: The windows on the south wall of the living room are not included in the present plan, but the owner intends to have them put in.

* The information in this section has been summarised from the following official publications: General ( Report on State ' Housing in N.Z. ‘ issued .1943—Ministry of Works,. . Department' of Housing Construction. Designs for Rural Houses, Ist Booklet issued 1940—State Advances Corporation. Annual report, State Advances Corporation Parliamentary Paper 8.13. New Zealand Official Year .. Book.

Year. New Rural Houses. 1937-38 .. .. 1,001 1938-39 .. .. 1,604 1939-40 .. .. 1,581 1940-41 .. .. 1,730 1941-42 .. .. 1,669 1942-43 .. 771

NUMBER OF NEW PRIVATE HOUSES IN RURAL AREASǂ