ENGLISH SLUMS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 November 1932, Page 2

ENGLISH SLUMS

WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION.

LONDON, October 30.

It is truly stated that one half of the people of England do not know liow the other half live. This fact is "brought home to one by a visit to the British Exhibition now in progress at Olympia. Here, the man' in the trade may see all the latest materials used in. up-to-date buildings, all the luxury fittings for the rich man’s dwelling, ’ but lie is also reminded that not less than a quarter of the population ot England and. Wales inhabit overcrowded homes.

“New Homes for Old” is a section of the exhibition which cannot fail, to leave an indelible impression ‘ all those who inspect it. “The Chamber of Horrors” is perhaps more repulsive than the original at Madame Tussaud’s. Here may be seen a collection of those creatures which , help to destroy life in the congested areas of our great cities. An attic room is arranged in such a way as to indicate the results of carelessness of landlords and tenants. Fleas, lice, and other insects of a similar nature are to be seen in model, a thousand times magnified. Rats and mice to scale are shown in their nesting places. Dead flies in milk and among domestic utensils remind us of one of the commonest dangers in the thousands of old houses which vested interests neglect, but retain.

Other models illustrate neglected re. pairs, lnolc of thorough ventilation, absence of adequate sanitary conveniences. There are also models of basement dwellings in London which are still occupied by about 100,000 people owing to the lack 1 of accommodation at !iw rents. One-room homes include rooms let separately in houses originally intended for one family. Perhaps the most impressive of thesn homes of the poor is the exact scale model of a one-room home in London used for living, cooking, and sleeping by a family of six. Figures of the members of the family are modelled in wax. It is a small room, for which 10s 6d a week is paid. Two beds, a. perambulator, table, sideboard, and cooking stove, it can easily be imagined, take up so much room that the six occupants ‘have little 'chance of movement Charts and photographs illustrate overcrowding per acre and over-crowding per room, and the relation of disease to bad housing conditions.

Replanning Schemes.

There is a pleasant side to thi s section of the Exhibition. Thirtv-two years ago the Improved Tenement Association became into being. It was started quite informally by a few friends with a capital of £2OOO, and the ownership of four houses in North Kensington. For years the Association worked on quietly. From time to time it bought houses which were the homes of the very poor, put them into good repair, and placed them under the management of experienced women property managers. Last year the Association’s issued share capital was £64,480, plus £IO,OOO secured by debentures, and it owned 186 freehold house, 46 leasehold houses, and controlled 33 properties as ground landlords.

Basements and yards of Improved Tenement Association houses have been cleared of tons of rubbish, lower rooms have been made rat-proof, verminous walls have been replaced by modern partitions, rotten woodwork has been removed, new floors have been put down, an<i ceilings and roofs have been made watertight. The Association thus educates the class which is not yet fitted for the occupation of modern workmen’s flats, and so'prevents the creation of new slums. It provides homes fpr working people at rents which they can afford to pay, and at the same time it gradually secures freehold land which may become very valuable for the purpose of possible future rebuilding. It may also be added that since 1925 the Association has paid a dividend of 4 per cent, each year. This is an example of a number of the movements throughout Great Britain which aim at clearing the slums and ameliorating the lot of the poor. The section suggests many valuable ways in which the needed improvements can be made. Powers for replanning have been conferred by Parliament on municipal authorities through the new Town and Country Planning Act. Municipal bodies *ha ve already got to work, but the exhibit reveals the enormous task which has yet to be accomplished.