25 JULY 1931, Page 12

Country Life

BURBAN.

A new word that carries a considerable freight has been launched, and is likely to enjoy a fair voyage : it is " rurban," or " rurbanization," was built by Mr. Muirhead in Oxford, and is used by the Council for the Preservation of Rural England. Such a word is needed, because a large population is growing up which is neither rural nor urban nor suburban. Its residence is rural (sometimes with apologies for the word) but its work industrial. The rapid increase of its members at the moment has been stimulated by the descent of many industries from the behoused north to the half houseless south. The workpeople, whether men or women, must often travel great distances daily, and most of them, even if they could find a village lodging, would prefer the town. Indeed, in the Kent coalfields they quite refused to inhabit the rural houses built for them and journeyed long distances to and from the coast towns.