Air-Raid Damage
The position of people whose homes are damaged by air raids is thoroughly unsatisfactory, and calls for very early amend- ment. At present, unless there is lack of housing accommoda- ti°n in the area, the local authority cannot make even temporary repairs; and it can in no case make permanent repairs without the consent of the Ministry of Health. A person of slender means, who has his windows smashed and roof-slates blown off —the fate of thousands all over the country—may find the local council unable to do anything, if there are empty houses near by, to which in theory he could resort. If, however, they can act, they may board up his windows and put a tarpaulin over the roof (such being " temporary " repairs), but neither glaze the one nor repair the other (such being " per- manent "). If he has the work done at his own expense, he can in theory recover from the Government after the war. But in fact he will even then only get the sum which it would have cost to do the work in March, 1939; which seems to be about half the present. cost. Surely the fair policy is to class glazing, slating and tiling as temporary repairs; cause them to be effected by the local authorities, and have the cost repaid to the latter by the Exchequer within a reasonable time. The law about permanent repairs is scarcely less exasperating. From the point of view of public morale there should be no delay about righting such obvious abuses. At present hard cases are rapidly being multiplied all over the country, and the peddling folly which the Treasury imposed on the Ministry of Health is doing as much as anything can to depress courage and aggravate hardship.
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