THE HONGKONG
TELEGRAPH. FRIDAY MARCH
193
HOW BRITAIN BUILDS HOME FOR WORKERS YOU MUST SEE THE 1935 —
MILLIONS SPENT ON
HOUSING PROBLEM
WHITE FELT HATS
THEY ARE EXCEEDINGLY.
SMART. PRICE BASED ON: THE HIGH EXCHANGE.
IMPROVING CONDITIONS OF LIVING.
By MILTON BRONNER
London.
When the United States, turns hopefully in 1985-to- ward a vast housing programme to create work and raise the standards of living for millions, it is venturing into no unmapped or unknown land.
The proposed American programme is very much like what Britain has been doing ever since the World War.
Since 1919, Britain has been able to build 2,193,106 new houses-1,164,831 of them built with state aid, and 1,028,275 with private capital. This progress has kept building trade workers busy, stimulated industry in gen- eral, and contributed much to the "recovery" by conserva- tive Britain that is the envy of many American conserva- tives.
When the World War ended, more than 1 persons per room! Britain found itself with a defive In a house there is overcrowd- nite and vast housing shortage.ing, the Architects Journal esti- Especially in the industrial cities, mated that in 16 large cities, 570,- there was dire need for decent 000 now houses were needed. houses for workingmen,
In London, it was found that But because building material two of three families were com- cost so much, interest rates on polled to share a house, that one- borrowed money were so high, and eighth of the population live more the pay of building, trade work-than two to. a room, and that in men was so steep, it was hard to Scotland this proportion was more build homes at a cost low enough than a third, that workingmen could either buy thom or rent them
Sir E. D. Simon, former mayor of the industrial city of Manches-
The British government took ater, said nearly 2,000,000 now band. Its effort WAA In two phases:
First: Almost, from the Armi stice down to last year, the Gov-: ernment itself aided the privato bullding of houses by granting aúbaldies.
houses would be needed in Britain by 1951, and that four million homes wore below any acceptable standard.
So in 1980 a new housing act went through Parliament. It de Aned slums, and gave local au thorities a chance to do away with Second: Ald to private building the plague spots. They can either has now ccosod, and the Govern- requiro owners to demolish such ment has turned to tearing down buildings, or buy the areas them stums and providing now and bet-selves and arrange demolition. tor houses in which the former
sium-dwellers can afford to live. OWNERS FORCED TO ACT
Pictured above is one of the new housing developments on the outskirts of London, which have created whole new districts with well planned streets and modern homer, as part of the huge home-
building programme Britain has prassed ever since the World War.
GOOD NEWS FOR GOURMET
"FRUITS DE MER" FOR LONDONER
London, Jan. 31. London has many good fish restaurants and oyster shops, In- cluding at least one that never opens in the profane months that have no "in them. But there) is always room at the top, and the opening of an English branch this week of the famous Prunier's from
21
다
sca
Beginning with the Addison Act! If owners tear down the bulld- Paris is an ovent in its way. It in 1913, the Government extended inga, they keep the sites. If the is established In St. James Street, a series of subsidies to private authorities have to demolish them, in the hours where Rumpelmoyer's, buildors of homes under plans they buy the areas on terms agree-the New York pastrycooks used to approved by the Ministry of able to the Ministry of Health. soll their dainties. Prunler's is Health, working through 1,712
The law provides for designat specialising on dish of fruita local authorities,
ing certain "improvement areas." de mer," consisting of English The British treasury has, in in these the worst houses may be oysters, French oysters, Portu- those 16 years, paid out some torn down, others ordered re- £200,000,000 In housing subsidies, paired. If the owner is slow guese oysters, a cockle, a mussol, and has drawn to bullding a total about doing the repairing, the city and a small French shellfish, all of nearly £1,000,000,000 from may do it and charge the cost to neatly. disposed round treasury and private sources. him-Appeals-from-such-damoll- urchin. Many of the lesser known This outpouring of money has tion and repair orders go to coun-fish and crustaceans are given been of the greatest help in keep-ty courts.
prominence in the menus as well ing British Industry going.
Local authorities, before pro- as several of the common varletles eceding with such programme of that are usually neglected in slum clearance, must satisfy the- fashionable places. Low Interest rates at which Ministry of Health that they have money could be borrowed helped provided houses into which the Rumanian caviare, the colour of bring this result, and many ob-displaced people may move. That smoked salmon is one of the novel. servers bellove that such condi-is important, for experience has tics. tion is now becoming apparent in shown that often the apartments the United States.
In 1933,
LOW INTEREST HELPS
bullt on land where alums have Mme. Prunier, who is the grand been destroyed are so expensive daughter of the founder, received: HO money became easily available in Britain
that the displaced people can't housing loans that the government afford them and simply move Into the West London gourmets and a discontinued its subsidies. Build-or create new slums.
for
MOVING EXPENSES PAID
number of Parisians on the open- Ing night at an assembly which recalled the cartoons of "Sem."" The only fish delicacies not on the tables
Chesapeake sott were
ing and loan associations were on- couraged to loan a higher per- centage of a house's cost, the gov Where slums are cleared, own- ernment Assuming responsibilityers are paid only for the value of for the difference between the the land. To provide for the 'ex- normal 70 per cent and the 30 per penses of these moves, and for shelled crabs and shad rop and cent which it recommended,
allowances for moving costs for English jellied eels-but I can tenants obliged to go elsewhere, not be sure, about the last named This decision to abandon sub-the national treasury pays abo !| aldies after many years of them 2. 68. 0d, a year for 40 years fuLondon delicacy being absent, was fought tooth and nall by the every person displaced. Local for Madame is setting out to give Socialists, who contended that authorities provide from local London all its own fish cuisine aa scarcely a third of the need for taxes £3. 8s..0d. a year for 40 years well as that of Paris. workingmon'a homes had been for every house destroyed.
filled.
But the principul source of cap-
But the government replied that Ital for razing slums and building port from such men as the Prince it was sure private enterprise and new housing projects is from of Wales and the Archbishop of capital could assume the burden, loans at a rate of interest Axed by Canterbury, Sir Hilton has gone and took up the problem of slum the government at 3% per cent right ahead. The Prince has been elimination.
LONDON SPENDS MILLIONS
some
The bill fixes rentals in the new interested in the housing problem apartments and houses built, and for years, and on his own proper- sets up an elaborate system of ties in the workingmen's section costs and expenses for calculating of London he voluntarily tore the rentals.
down many bad buildings and re placed them with model flate at
On
properties
Alrondy the city of London had become one of the greatest land- lords of the metropolitan ares, baving built 09,000 houses and MINISTER “ON SPOT" flats for 350,000 people to live in. Adding to fedoral funds
new Bats and apartments low rentals. £40,000,000 of its own tax money, now under way rentals have not the London County Council had yet been sot, but on built not only now apartments in now operated by the crowded areas, but had developed County Council they are: For a whole streets and communities in five-room house, exclusive of taxes plan of slum demolition, Sir III. and water rent, from about '12/- ton points to demolition of 18,107 outlying districts.
a wook; four-room houses about buildings in 1933, completion of Last year the city of London had 11s.; four-room flats, about Ba.: 15,058 now ones, and beginning £3,000,000 coming to it in rents. two-room flats, about 78,
of 19,301 more...
The slum problem then becama paramount. The National Hous-
London
HUGE SUM TO BE SPENT The government plans to spend half-billion dollars in a five-year
Sir Hilton Young, as Minister Ho is pressing in Parliament ing and Town Planning Council of Health, is in the difficult posl for a complete survey of over tion of having to please everybody crowded conditions, after which In 1920 showed that one-quarter of with this programme. He hasn't local authorities would be charged the population of England and Wales was living under definitely done it. He is attacked by So with elimination of such condi overcrowded conditions. A Scot-cialists and Liberals for not mov-tions in their own communities. tish committes reported that ating fast enough. He is attacked least 41,000 houses in Scotland by landlords for moving too fast. were absolutely unfit to live in and should be destroyed,"
GREAT CONGESTION FOUND Taking as a basis that when
So when the United States cm- barks on a vast housing pro They are demanding that own-gramme, the experience of Britain ors of condemned buildings be stands before it as a great labora- paid not only for the land, but tory whose results are avaliable also something for the buildings. for no more effort than it takes to
But, heartened by active aup study them.
HEA
ALSO
NEW STOCKS OF
"BREATH O' SPRING"
GIRDLES
and
GIRDLEIERES
POROUS and COOL. INCLUDING THE POPULAR
TWO-WAY STRETCH
Many other; makes and modern styles in Corsets and Brassieres.
Formfit
NEW BRIDAL VEILS
and BLOSSOMS
FROM LONDON AND PARIS
ELITE STYLES
The
ASIATIC
quickest way to get the best whisky:
Taking over the duties of Sir William Clark a High Commis- eloner from the United Kingdom to Canada, Sir Franels Flood will supervise trade. relations between Canada and the homeland. Sir Francia and Lady Floud (seated) arm shown, above, in their new. homs, with their son and daughter.
BLAIRGOWRIE LOST
ENTIRE CREW OF TWENTY SIX DROWNED
London, Feb. 28.
been lost in the Atlantic with the entire crew numboring 26. After prolonged search the German liner Europa and other vessels, which had answered the 'distress slynals, were obliged to 'ahandon
It is feared certain that the hope yesterday and they resumed British steamer Blairgowrie has their voyages.—British Wireless.
** Major-General Kenji Doibara, director of the Special Duties Organ of the Japanese Kuantung Army at Mukden, to whom certain forelyn papers`have given the nickname of "Lawranca, of Manchu kup as he arrived in Shanghai-recently. He is arriving in Hong
kong to dayąg
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