Letters to the Editor
[Correspondents are requested to keep their letters as brief as is reasonably possible. The most suitable length is that of one of our " News of the Week" paragraphs.—Ed. Tux SPECTATOR.] THE SCANDAL OF THE SLUMS [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
Sta,—The article entitled " The Scandal of the Slums," in Your issue of January 13th, is a moderate statement of a terrible state of affairs. Everyone who knows at first hand the actual plight of the poorer paid wage-earners in London must be profoundly disturbed at the prospect before them.
The Government's programme as contained in their Housing and Rent Bills—so far, at least, as London is concerned—is definitely not an advance to battle against bad housing : it is a retreat. It must be clearly understood that private enterprise will not provide dwellings in London to let at rents within the capacity to pay of the poorer wage-earning classes (income, say, 40s. to 60s. a week).
The really urgent housing needs of London are twofold : (1) replacement of slum dwellings by decent homes at low rents ; and (2) a large additional number of low-rented dwellings to supply the needs of the poorer paid families now living either in the slums or under conditions of overcrowding which amount to slumdom. The re-housing of these poorer families is the essence of the London hanging problem to-day.
So far as object No. (I) is concerned, the future operation of the 1930 Act, as forecast by the Minister, far from conquering the slums, is unlikely even to keep pace with the progressive deterioration into slumdom of existing old property. Further, the Government's programme extinguishes all prospect of achieving object No. (2). It will not add to the number of low-rented dwellings. The Rents Bill will slow down the rate at which the cheap dwellings are being diminished, but will not arrest that process.
. It is a great misfortune that economy is considered to necessitate the entire scrapping of the 1024 Aet, and it is to be feared that, in the long.run, this will prove expensive and unprofitable economy. It will certainly bear hardly upon a. class of the population which is perhaps harder hit already than any other by wage cuts and unemployment combined.
The good work being done by the voluntary housing societies form of semi-philanthropic private enterprise to which, tribute on several occasions been paid by Government spokes- men in Parliament—will be interrupted, and in many cases rendered impossible.
It is to be hoped that a determined effort will be made during the passage of these Bills through Parliament to make them correspond more fully with the urgent needs of. the situation. The abolition of the slums and the provision of decent houses for the poorer wage-earners are, I believe, quite definitely objects for which the people of this country are prepared to make further and considerable sacrifices.- (Chairman, Kensington Housing Trust, Ltd.). 81 Bedford Gardens, W.8.
Previous page
