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1907. NEW ZEALAND.

WORKERS’ DWELLINGS (REPORT ON, BY THE HON. THE MINISTER OF LABOUR).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 20 of " The Workers' Dwellings Act, 1905."

t ~i , Wellington, 24th June 1907 H /™fh wT'n submit reports from Mr. W. C. Kensington, late Chairman of the Board under tee Workers Dwellings Act, and Mr. James Mackay, the present Chairman, on the working of the Act during the year ending the 31st March, 1907. I also attach a report from Mr. J. E March Inspector of Workers' Dwellings, together with a return showing the number of dwellings erected, the area and value of the land on which they are built, cost of buildings and fencing the number of dwellings leased, the area of land on which the leased dwellings are built the monthly rent, and the rent paid to the 31st March last. J. A. Millak Minister of Labour. Slß,— T • , . Wellington, Bth June, 1907 tn . h it t aCCOrdan f ee Wlt + h se °"°" 2p of " The Workers' Dwellings Act, 1905," I have the honour to submit for your information the following information for the financial year 1906-7 and though my connection with the Advisory Board as Chairman ceased on the Ist'February I under stand it is your wish that I should furnish you on this occasion with a report. The money expended in acquiring land was ... 658 17 6 The money expended in preparing land for workers' dwellings and in erecting dwellings £ a. d. was, out of Land for Settlements Funds ... 26,894 1 10 And upon ordinary Crown lands ... ... 1 (j ; 30,627 3 4 Total ••• ••• ••• •■• ... 31,286 010 The total number of dwellings erected has been ... 71 The total number leased to 31st March was ... "' 52 The number leased under section 9 of "The Workers' Dwellings Act 1905," was ... ... ... ... oo The dwellings erected in the several chief centres are as follows :— Erected. „, leased to Otahuhu and Ellerslie, Auckland 20 March, 1907. Petone, Wellington ... ... ... 25 17 Sydenham, Christeliurch io 10 Windle, Dunedin ... ... '.'.', '." "/ \± i^. ; * Kight taken up since.3lst Maicli. I have, &c, Wμ. C. Kensington. mi h Tv wi »#• ■ ±t , Late Chairman of Advisory Board The Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister of Labour, Wellington. SlE '— _ . Department of Labour, Wellington, 22nd June, 1907 1 have the honour, in accordance with " The Workers' Dwellings Act, 1905 " to submit a report on the working of the Act since I was appointed Chief Advisory Officer in February Previous to that time, as you are aware, I was a member of the Board of which Mr Kensincton was Chairman, and he has already furnished you with a report up to that date " ensm % lon In place of the old Board it was arranged by you that the Commissioners of Crown Lands in each of he four centres together with the Inspectors of Factories, and Mr. J. E. March shou d act as a local Board with myself as Chairman, and that the general supervision of the erection of these dwellings was to be under the care of the Labour Department. Early in March Mr Woburn Temple, of Auckland, was appointed Architect to the Department, and his first duties were to prepare plans and specifications for the erection of more cottages at Sydenham (Christ church), and also for the Coromandel Street block at Wellington. I hope to be able toreport to you shortly that a start has been made with the erection of houses at both places The style of the houses has been generally approved, and considerable astonishment has been expressed that such comfortable and pretentious houses could be erected for the money and let at such low rentals. The scheme will, lam sure, prove an unqualified success, provided the land selected be either in close proximity to the workers' employment or the cost of transit is low from