OVERCROWDING OF BUILDINGS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2618, 28 September 1909, Page 2

OVERCROWDING OF BUILDINGS

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Your emphatic leader and Mr. Toneycliffe’s letter in your Saturday’s issue expose a phase of undesirable municipal administration that must become more apparent in the future, if not at once checked. Probably many persons will dismiss the matter under the impression that the eases mentioned are isolated ones, but they are not. I can point to another instance of overcrowding which is occurring in Palmerston Road that is a nositive disgrace. On a quarter of an aero recently occupied I)” one old house (hardly fit for habitation) there has now been erected two new cottages, whilst the old one has been turned round and placed further back (by a member of the Borough Council) almost out of sight of the pas-ser-by, but practically in what should be the back yard of the two new cottages. This is .a first step towards the creation of slums—the placing of old houses away out of sight under conditions that are not only insanitary, but absolutely unwholesome. In the case mentioned by Mr. Toneycliffe the houses have a frontage to a right-of-way or public thoroughfare. In the case lam alluding to the only frontage is to other people’s back yards. The proprietor of this place recently perpetrated another similar occurrence with another property and from all accounts is prepared to do the same with am* other place he can purchase that lends itselr to this sort of thing. It is clearly the tin tv of the Council, if it has the future welfare of the town in thought, to make a by-laiv that prohibits the erection or placing of any” dwelling on a site that lias not some frontage to a public thoroughfare. A few years ago one could take undo in the fact that there was scarcely any instance of overcrowding in the dwelling areas of the town, but estate-owners are now apparently emboldened and allowed to build where and how they choose. One positively hates to Took forward to the future if this thing is to go on without some nttemnt being made to prevent it. it is decidedly unfair and deprecative to tlm values of the properties of residents w*ho have erected homos m what appeared to he a desirable residential locality to allow any gr asping j err vbuilder to come along and erect dwellings in such a manner as to be a reproach to the place. I sincere! v hope to see some member of the Council take the initiative in this apparently needed reform.—l am, /tc-^^,^.