JNF-The-Working-Class-Struggle-of-Half-a-Century

2 THE HOUSING PROBLEM
Ask anybody about what it takes to build a house and the answer is
likely to be "land and money". However less than two generations ago
three factors prevented ordinary people from enjoying good homes of
their own and these were lack of money, lack of available land and lack
of efforts by any public or private agency to improve housing conditions
for the working population. During that period the common man
could not help himself in the situation. He had no means of having his
wants and needs adequately considered by the people who were in a
position to better his lot. The St. Kitts Workers League had not yet
come on the scene. At this time the only advocate to plead the cause of
the working man was The Union Messenger.
The disastrous hurricane of 1924 threw the housing problem into
bold relief. At that time the idea of giving names to hurricanes had
not yet come into vogue and it would not have mattered if it had. The
hardest hit victims of these storms were the working people. Under
prevailing conditions it could not be otherwise. In the violent winds
that swept the islands on August 28 th and 29 th of that year, tearing
down fences, trees, and growing crops, a large number of small houses
were destroyed and others were badly damaged. The terrific downpour
of rain was the heaviest in forty-four years. The great volume of water
flowing down the ghauts and ravines particularly in Basseterre, Old
Road and Gingerland, Nevis was exceeded only by the terrible flood of
1880.
Many people had to leave their homes to seek refuge as the
flow of water and mud swept through their houses. Fortunately there
were no deaths in St. Kitts, but according to an account of the disaster
in The Union Messenger: Nevis reports four persons killed, three by
falling housing and one by drowning, eleven injured, ten of whom are in
hospital and 315 dwelling houses destroyed. Police stations, churches
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