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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 2 (June, 1926)

[section]

The Railway Department has acquired a site of 30acres on the Paul estate at Wanganui East, adjoing the Wanganui Agricultural Association's new showground, and it has been decided t immediately erect forty houses for the benefit of employees in Wanganui.

All of the houses are factory cut at Frankton and will be railed for carting to the site and assembling. The scheme is working satisfactorily. Good materials are used, and although the cottages are all of five rooms with plain wooden exteriors the affront to town planning often offered in such ases by a monotonous sameness in rows of buildings will here be avoided. A variety in architecture will be afforded by four different types of roofs—all of iron, but with the gables facing in different directions. The porches in front of the houses also differ in type, and the settlement bids fair to assume more the character of a neat suburb than that of an industrial residential block.

Each house has three bedrooms, one 10 ft. 6 in. by 11 ft. and two 8 ft. 4 in. by 11 ft. Then there is a sitting room 12 ft. by 14 ft. 6 in. and a kitchen 13 ft. by 16 ft. The wash-house, scullery and bathroom are all under the one roof, conveniently designed, and adequate provision has been made for interior fittings such as cupboards. The rental to the railway employees will be on the usual plan—one day's pay per week, whatever a man earns. Hot and cold water services and electric light will be installed.

Arrangements have been made with the Wanganui City Council to have the property roaded, and all the city facilities will be provided. Roading will use up a considerable part of the area that has been secured, and the sections will be about a quarter of an acre each in extent.

The Departmental proposals are being viewed with great interest by local railway employees as at the present time some of them (says the “Wanganui Herald”) are paying considerably more than a day's wages for a week's rent.