The Federal Gardens Housing project in Trench Town was officially inaugurated by Hon Dr Glendon Logan, Minister of Local Government and Housing, highlighting a new approach to providing affordable housing for lower-income groups. The project, featuring 30 terraced houses and seven two-story buildings, accommodates 116 families with modern amenities, including electricity and playgrounds for children. Dr Logan emphasised the necessity of government intervention in housing due to rising costs and expressed hope that the beneficiaries would honour their commitments.

Published Thursday, June 21, 1956

Federal Gardens Housing project opened

The Federal Gardens Housing project in Trench Town was officially declared open yesterday afternoon by the Hon Dr Glendon Logan, Minister of Local Government and Housing.  In spite of the uncertain state of the weather a large gathering attended.

Dr Logan described the project as making “a new and progressive approach to the provision of better housing for persons in the lower income group”.

He said that the project consisted of 30 terraced houses consisting of two 2 rooms, flats each and seven two-storey buildings of eight flats each. There was therefore accommodation for 116 families of normal size to live in fair comfort.  Electricity had been installed in all the flats.

“This is a new departure,” he said, “as hitherto it has not been the practice to provide this amenity initially on government housing projects. The needs of the housewife have not been overlooked, as clothes lines have been provided.

"A small area has been enclosed for use as a playground for the young children on the project, and grass and shade trees have been planted to lend beauty and homeliness to the surroundings."

Mr Warren Cornwel,l Director of Housing, presided.  The Rev Canon R. O. C. King opened the proceedings with prayer and short speeches were made by the Chief Minister the Hon Norman Manley, and the Hon Noel Nethersole, Minister of Finance and MHR for Central St Andrew.  They congratulated those responsible for the project and expressed the hope that in the future more and more houses would be built to accommodate the people.

Among those on the dais were the Mayor Councillor Balfour Barnswell, the Deputy Mayor Councillor Adolphus Walker, Councillors Lynden Newland, Vivian Lewis, Hubert Latore, Mr Hector  White, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, Mr. Eustace N. Bird, Principal Assistant Secretary, officers of the Department of Housing, and other interested persons.

The cost

“The cost of shelter has risen beyond what the citizens in the lower income brackets can afford to provide and private enterprise is generally not interested in providing such accommodation”. Dr Logan said, “It is therefore left to the State to provide housing for this income group.  In doing this it is necessary to subsidise the cost in order to bring the purchase price or rental within the limits of what the people can afford, recognising the value of fair housing conditions to the health and happiness of the family and community.

“We have around us monumental evidence of the intention of Government to improve the housing conditions of the people as far as Government’s slender resources will permit when there are so many other competing demands of equally high priority.  It is therefore my earnest hope that the people who benefit will set a good example by honouring their obligations, and to enable more of their less fortunate brethren to enjoy in due course the benefits of the improved housing accommodation which they will now be privileged to enjoy in these Federal Gardens.”

After referring to the number of units in the scheme Dr Logan disclosed that Miss Queen Shootes, Director of the Home Economics course at the UCWI had consented to furnish one of the flats that tenants might see how flats could be used to best advantage that was as regards the best use of available space and of furniture of simple and cheap construction.

He said the scheme had no element of profit. The low rentals were possible because of a grant by the British Government for which they were grateful and also because of further assistance from the Jamaica Government.

I sincerely hope that all those who are fortunate enough to live in these Gardens will enjoy peace and happiness in their new surroundings.  As we in the West Indies look forward to closer association between the peoples in the individual territories, so I hope that the people in the Federal Gardens of Trench Town will live in harmony and develop a federal community spirit which will be an example to other communities on Government housing estates in the island.

He thanked the Director of Housing, the Government Town Planner and their staff and all others who had been associated with the planning, construction and installation of the project.

The cradle

The Hon Noel Nethersole said it was fitting that the first project of the kind in the Corporate Area declared open since the Hon Dr Glendon Logan had been Minister of Housing in Trench Town which had been the cradle of public housing in the Corporate Area.

Because of lack of funds and population pressure it was almost impossible to solve the housing problem.  Now that the Minister had started and had declared that project open he hoped that he and those associated with him would contribute to carry out projects in Trench Town to house the people.

He said that given better housing conditions, the people would be encouraged to make their apartments clean and healthy not only for their own benefit but to set an example to the people of the Corporate Area as to how to establish decent living in lower income areas.

Mr Manley congratulated those who planned the houses, those who built them and most of all those who are going to live in them.

‘Of all the many hard and difficult problems Jamaica has to face," the Chief Minister said, “there can hardly be any which is more important than the business of finding places for people to live in.  A decent life is not possible except with decent homes for men and women, and most of all for the  children of men and women.

“Aside from that where we have conditions in which thousands of people are still looking for work, the provision of housing serves a double purpose because the more houses to go up the more number of people who will get a little work so that two good things are being done at the same time.

‘I wish Government had five times as much money to spend upon housing, but please God, as time goes on we shall continue to spend as we are spending more and more every passing year," he said.

“Now that we have recognised the whole housing organisation to tell the public we are making considerable progress and improvements in carrying out this work, and I am looking forward to greater improvement in planning and execution of housing.”

Before the proceedings began, the Chief Minister and others inspected one of the two-storey buildings.  They saw that each two-room flat was self-contained with its own kitchen, toilet and bath.

It was stated that all the units were constructed at a cost of approximately £61,000.  Flats in the two-storey buildings would be rented at 16 per week each and those in the other building at 12 per week.

The rental would contain a revolving fund from which more  houses would be built. There would be no subsidy by the Jamaica Government although a contribution of 33 1/3 per cent had been made from CD&W funds.

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