THE RURAL COTTAGE PROBLEM—AND ITS SOLUTION.
[To THE EDITOR OF TER "Srsoreros.n Srn,—In view of the general agreement as to the necessity for more cottages in rural districts, will you allow me to call the attention of your readers to the affairs of the Kent Cottage Company, Limited ? This little company was started seven years ago with the primary object of building cheap cottages in the little village of Leigh, in Kent. The founders of the company had, however, the idea that subsequently they might be in a position to extend their operations to neigh- bouring villages, and that is why they took a more ambitious title. The result of the seven years' operations now completed is most satisfactory. Altogether twenty cottages have been built, of which two may be called small villas. The remainder are essentially cottages, let at rents from 4e. to 5s. 6d. a week, exclusive of rates, which are paid direct by the tenants. The cottages are built round three sides of an open square, which is available as a playground for the children. Each cottage has, in addition, a good-sized garden back and front. After making ample provision for leasehold redemption, and putting by a considerable reserve fund for exceptional repairs, the directors were this year able to recommend a dividend of 4 per cent. on the share capital.
This result appears to me so satisfactory on such low rents that I venture to appeal to your readers either to imitate this example in their own parishes or, if they prefer to do so, to entrust any money they would like to invest in this work to the Kent Cottage Company. The first use which the directors would make of any additional share capital would be to com- plete their present scheme. On the piece of land which the company already occupies there is room for six more cottages in addition to the twenty already built, and these additional six would relatively diminish the cost of preliminary expenses and of land, sewerage, and water enpply borne by the other cottages. I ought to add that one of the conditions of tenancy on this small estate is that every tenant should become a shareholder in the company to the extent of at least £1. One satisfactory feature of this arrangement is that several of the tenants regularly attend the annual meeting of the company, and there discuss with the directors practical points affecting the comfort of the tenants. That the enterprise has partially met a serious want in the district is proved by the fact that whenever one of the cottages becomes vacant there are from ten to twenty applications for it. I venture to think that if companies organized on similar lines were started in other rural districts the cottage problem could be solved without the costly intervention of the State.—I am, Sir, &c.,
(One of the Directors.)
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