CROWDED HOSTELS

Camp News, Volume 3, Issue 148, 13 November 1942, Page 4

CROWDED HOSTELS

Weekend Accommodation For Servicemen A Problem ■' t ' ' ! : ■’■ •7'A?...z '/' . ?'.’<• ■"■ •'• : r ■ ■ ■ Last weekend brought; a-record influx of servicemen into Wellington city, and accommodation was at a premium. This matter was referred to at the monthly meeting of . the . Metropolitan Patriotic; Committee yesterday, when Mr. F. Jones; chairman of the hostels committee, •. reported that not only were' both of the combined services -hostels crowded, but they had to make an arrangement for the use of the Baptist Sunday schoolroom, under the church irnßoulcott Street, for the accommodation of some 50 soldiers. Fortunately, they had 'a, reserve of blankets, as the allocation at both hostels had been cut down from three to. two blankets on account of the warmer weather. , He suggested.that, in view of possible repetitions of this experience some arrange-, ment might be made with St. John’s Church or 'Wesley 5 Church, in Taranaki Street, ' both near the Dixon Street . hostel, to provide for servicemen - who required . sleeping space ' for the. night. If these churches would consent to s the use of their Sunday schools for Saturday night only,. they could, with a reserve of mattresses and blankets, be made reasonably comfortable, and the men could use the bathrooms and get their meals at the hostel. . r It was stated during discussion that the abnormal number. of men' in the - city on Saturday was due to so many being given leave at the one time, and a suggestion was made that perhaps the Army authorities might take the matter of night accommodation ; into consideration; when they gave large' numbers of men weekend leave.' '<l ■■ ' ■ The -chairman, Mr. Hislop, said he did not think' it advisable to interfere in any way with the leave of men in uniform. Mr. Urquhart said that-such was the position on Saturday night that they had to take 40 men to the police station, in order to get them cover for the night, as accommodation was unobtainable anywhere else. It-was, in his opinion, a situation created by lack of organization as far as the granting of leave was 'concerned. • Messrs. J. W. Andrews and H. Green, representing Lower Hutt and Petone- respectively, said that their .organizations could scarcely cope with the demands being made on them. It was mentioned that some servicemen slept on the Petone railway platform on Sunday night. An application was made for larger club premises at Lower Hutt, as the present room was altogether inadequate , for the purposes to be served. Messrs. Andrews, Green and Wise were asked to see if they could not secure a good site for a large clubroom which would serve both Hutt and Petone. It was left to the hostels committee to make the best arrangements possible under the circumstances for emergency weekend accommodation in Wellington.