It may be stated quite definitely that labour is doing well on this scheme. The average number of bricks laid per man per day has steadily increased, and although when bricklaying was commenced a very inferior class of brick was supplied, causing a certain amount of unrest, the output was constantly good, when this was remedied. At present six tilers and three tilers' mates, and two slaters and two slaters' mates are working on the sites, the aim being to keep them constantly employed as the roofs are battened ready for their work.

The relations between the Office of Works and the Borough Council and the Trades and Labour Council are of the most cordial nature. The Office of Works' Labour Officer attends meetings of the Trades Council and hears all grievances at those meetings, and acts in conjunction

With regard to trainees, the agreement made with the Labour and Trades Council was that one trainee to seven skilled operatives would be accepted, and trainees are slowly being drafted on to the work, where they are being treated sympathetically by the labour.

As to improvers, they are being brought on to the site by the skilled operatives who know men who can answer to the term "improver," and they work upon the job under the conditions laid down by the Labour and Trades Council, viz., that they shall have some knowledge of the use of tools and that their number shall not exceed the ratio of one in seven.

The difficulty with regard to apprentices has been to indenture them for the period of their apprenticeship, the natural fear of the Labour and Trades Council being

with their officers and also with the manager of the Employment Exchange. The local feeling between the union officials and the manager of the Employment Exchange is excellent, and has proved very helpful throughout the progress of the work.

One of the most convincing signs of satisfaction with the job is that practically no labour has left the site since its first engagement, with the exception of a very few men dismissed for inefficiency, etc. Further, the Labour and Trades Council have agreed with the Office of Works to the principle of dilution of the skilled operatives by utilising trainees and improvers who are disabled ex-soldiers, and also, under certain conditions, apprentices.

that apprentices might be taken on for one job only and afterwards would be turned on to the trade as incomplete workmen.

Materials and Transport.

Materials are obtained so far as possible through the Director of Building Materials Supply, and where that source fails materials are bought directly by the Department. For small orders, to prevent delay in the work, the Chief Clerk of Works may place direct orders with local merchants, forwarding a covering order to the Department with particulars of his action.

Haulage for the whole of the sites is carried out by contract; stock bricks being used on the Hawkslade

Road and Lanbury Road sites, to the number of 30,000 per day, are brought by barge to Peckham High Street wharf and thence by motor-lorry to the sites. Fletton bricks for the Casino House site are delivered by rail and by motor-lorry from Herne Hill station. All the roads leading to the sites are hilly, and the cost of haulage is somewhat high. Motor-lorries capable of hauling from 3,500 to 4,000 bricks per journey cost £5 10s. per day, while cart and horse haulage for 600 bricks per journey works out at roughly 28s. to 30s. per day.

Joinery.

It was proposed at one time to sub-let work such as joinery, slating, tiling, plumbing, etc., but the Labour and Trades Council gave a definite undertaking that they would supply first-rate labour for executing this work if it was undertaken by direct administration, and this work is also proceeding efficiently and economically. The joinery work has all been manufactured in the borough, the Borough Council giving accommodation at their Grove Vale Depot at an agreed charge of 21 per cent. on the capital cost of the joinery. This charge includes the use of shops, storage, power, light and machinery, with the exception of small extra machinery obtained to give the necessary output. At the moment, there are 29 joiners and machinists and nine labourers at the depot. Sufficient costing has already been taken of the joinery to show that it is working out economically, while the standard is very satisfactory.

Organisation.

It was made clear to the Labour and Trades Council in the beginning that the organisation of the work must rest with His Majesty's Office of Works, but an undertaking was given to the Labour and Trades Council that all costs of administration and supervision, which should not exceed 5 per cent. of the total, and will be below this, would be kept separately and the figures would be open for their inspection at any time.

The organisation of the work is upon a very simple basis, the Headquarters Staff of the Office of Works being

entirely responsible for the purchase of material, the control of the site staff and a system of costing.

The system of costing is under the skilled Quantity Surveyors of the Office of Works, and full data as to costing can be given at the end of the job.

The site is under the control of a principal clerk of works, with assistant clerks of works under him, and also a general foreman and sub-foremen and leading hands, plus the necessary timekeepers.

Materials are requisitioned from the sites through the general foremen, and headquarters send covering orders in respect of all material ordered to the chief clerk of works. All materials are checked by qualified material checkers, and the accounts passed through the checkers to the general office, and passed on by the chief clerk of works to the measuring surveyors at the head office, who in turn transmit them for payment.

The local costing on the site for labour is forwarded by the leading hands to the general foreman, who transmits to the costing clerk.

With regard to wages and timekeeping, the time-sheets are prepared and sent by the timekeepers through the general site office to the Finance Division at headquarters, the wages being paid to the sites from the general office.

Conclusion.

The Housing Committee of the Borough Council take the liveliest interest in the scheme, and visit the whole of the sites at regular intervals.

It is anticipated that the majority of the houses will be all roofed in before the winter, and that houses will be ready for occupation within a month's time.

There can be no question that by the execution of this work by direct administration with sympathetic help from labour the progress is excellent, and the scheme will be economical and rapid in execution. The standard of building is very good throughout, but it must always be recognised that direct labour work requires the closest knowledge of organisation and the most careful supervision and control. This is now recognised by labour in the borough, and in no case is that supervision and control resented by them.

Power to hire dwelling-houses compulsorily for housing of the working classes.

1.-(1) For the purpose of providing houses for the working classes any authority, being a local authority within the meaning of Part III of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, shall have power to hire compulsorily any house which is suitable for the housing of the working classes and has not been in the occupation of any occupier at any time during a period of at least three months immediately preceding the date on which the local authority make the order authorising the compulsory hiring:

Provided that the term for which a house may be hired under this section shall be not less than twelve months and shall not extend beyond the twenty-fifth day of December, nineteen hundred and twenty-three.

(2) The provisions set out in the First Schedule to this Act shall have effect with respect to the compulsory hiring of houses under this section.

Amendment of s. 1 of 9 & 10 Geo. 5. c. 99.

2. Subsection (2) of section one of the Housing (Additional Powers) Act, 1919 (which prescribes the conditions under which grants may be made to persons constructing houses), shall have effect as though two years were therein substituted for twelve months.

Amendment of s. 5 of 9 & 10 Geo. 5. c. 99.

3. Section five of the Housing (Additional Powers) Act, 1919 (which gives power to local authorities to prohibit building operations which interfere with the provision of dwelling houses), shall be amended as follows:

(1) The powers and duties of a local authority under the said section may, subject to such terms and conditions as may be imposed by the authority, be exercised and performed by a committee appointed by the authority out of their own number:

(2) For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the said section, either generally or in any special case, any local authorities having powers under the said section may appoint a joint committee consisting of

members of their own bodies or otherwise act jointly in any manner, and where any local authorities so appoint a joint committee the said section shall have effect as though the areas of those authorities were a single area and as though the joint committee were the local authority for that area :

(3) Where the Minister of Health (in this Act referred to as the Minister") is satisfied that the provision of dwelling accommodation within the area of a local authority is or is likely to be hindered

(a) by reason of the construction in the area of some other authority of buildings of less public importance than the provision of dwelling accommodation; or

(b) by reason of the failure of the local authority to make adequate use in their area of their powers under the said section;

the Minister may make such order as he thinks proper in the circumstances of the case for prohibiting or restricting the construction of works or buildings in the area in question :

(4) The tribunal to which appeals under subsection (2) of the said section are to be referred by the Minister shall, instead of being a standing tribunal consisting of five persons to be appointed by the Minister, be constituted as follows:

(a) The Minister shall constitute a panel of persons to act as chairmen of the tribunal and a panel of persons to act as ordinary members of the tribunal;

(b) The tribunal shall consist of one person selected by the Minister from the panel of chairmen and not less than two persons selected by the Minister from the panel of ordinary members;

(c) The tribunal shall sit in such number of divisions as the Minister may from time to time determine:

(5) The costs of an appeal under subsection (2) of the said section shall be in the discretion of the tribunal hearing the appeal, and the tribunal may direct to whom, by whom, and in what manner those costs or any part thereof are to be paid, and may settle the amount of the costs to be so paid or any part thereof.

An order of the tribunal for payment of costs may by leave of the High Court be enforced in the same manner as an order of that Court, or if the amount thereof does not exceed fifty pounds, may be recovered summarily as a civil debt:

(6) The following shall be substituted for subsection (3) of the said section :

(3) An order made by a local authority under this section shall have effect as from the date specified in the order in that behalf, but any person who is aggrieved by and has appealed against the order may apply to the tribunal of appeal, and the tribunal may, on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit, suspend the operation of the order pending the determination of the appeal or for such shorter period as it thinks fit."

Execution of works, etc., by local authorities outside their own districts in connection with housing schemes and otherwise. 4. (1) Where a housing scheme approved under section one of the Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act, 1919, is being carried into effect by a local authority outside their own district, that authority shall, subject to the approval of the Minister, have power

(a) to execute any works which are necessary for the
purposes of, or are incidental to the carrying out of, the
scheme, and to enter into agreements with the councils
of any counties or districts in which the scheme is
being carried out as to the terms and conditions on
which any such works are to be executed:
(b) to borrow money for the purpose of defraying any

expenses (including interest payable in respect of
money borrowed under this section) incurred by the
local authority in connection with any such works
as aforesaid:

(c) to advance to any such council as aforesaid such sums as may by reason of any agreement made under this section be required by that council in connection with the construction by the council of any such works as aforesaid.

Extension of s. 7 (2) of 9 & 10 Geo. 5 c. 99.

5. The power conferred on the Minister by subsection (2) of section seven of the Housing (Additional Powers) Act, 1919, of imposing by general or special order conditions with regard to the raising by a county council of money lent by the council to a local authority within their area for the purposes of the Housing Acts, 1890 to 1919, shall be deemed to include and always to have included a power to impose conditions with respect to the borrowing by a local authority from a county council of money so raised.

Power to provide houses for employees of local authorities.

6.--(1) Any local authority may, with the approval of the Minister, provide houses for persons employed by them (including in the case of a local authority being a local education authority, persons who are teachers in schools maintained but not provided by the authority), and for that purpose may be authorised to acquire land in like manner as a local authority may be authorised to acquire land for the purposes of Part III of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890.

(2) Any expenses incurred by a local authority under this section shall be paid out of the rate or fund out of which are paid the wages or salaries of the persons for whom the houses are provided.

(3) A local authority shall have power, with the approval of the Minister, to borrow money for the purposes of this section and the maximum period for repayment shall, as respects money so borrowed, be eighty years.

(4) In this section the expression "local authority" means any authority having power to levy a rate within the meaning of the Local Loans Act, 1875, and includes a joint hospital board constituted under the Public Health Act, 1875, and a committee constituted under the Isolation Hospitals Acts, 1893 and 1901.

PART II. MISCELLANEOUS.

Rate of interest on certain advances and expenses.

7. The rate of interest on advances under section one of the Small Dwellings Acquisition Act, 1899, and on any expenses recoverable by a local authority under section two hundred and fifty-seven of the Public Health Act, 1875, or under section fourteen of the Private Street Works Act, 1892, or incurred by a local authority under section twenty-eight of the Housing, Town Planning, &c., Act, 1919, shall be such rate as the Minister may from time to time by order direct.

Amendment of ss. 61 and 285 of 38 & 39 Vict. c. 55.

"

8. Section sixty-one of the Public Health Act, 1875, (which empowers a local authority to supply water to an authority of an adjoining district), and section two hundred and eighty-five of that Act (which empowers a local authority to execute works in an adjoining district), shall have effect as though the words other district were therein substituted for the words " adjoining district" wherever those words occur in those sections. Expenses in connection with associations of local authorities and in connection with meetings, conferences, etc. 17.-(1) Subject as hereinafter provided, a local authority may pay out of such fund or rate as the Minister may direct—

(a) any reasonable subscriptions, whether annual or otherwise, to the funds of any association or institution formed for the purpose of assisting local authorities in the exercise of their powers or the performance of their duties, including any industrial council established by or with the approval of the Minister of Labour; and

(b) any reasonable expenses incurred by the local authority in connection with meetings or conferences held by any such association or institution as aforesaid and any expenses incurred by a local authority with the approval of the Minister in connection with any meetings or conferences held for the purpose of discussing any matters connected with the powers and duties of local authorities, including the expenses of persons attending the meetings or conferences as representatives of the local authority, and the expenses of purchasing the reports of the proceedings of any such association, institution, conference or meeting; and

(i) no payment shall be made in respect of any of the matters specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) aforesaid, unless

(1) the expenditure has been specially authorised or ratified by a resolution passed at a meeting of the authority held after special notice has been given to the members of the authority of the proposal to authorise or ratify the expenditure:

(2) the association or institution is an association or institution which has been previously approved by the Minister for the purposes of this section, and in the case of an association of local authorities, is an association which in the opinion of the Minister properly represents the class of authorities who are members of the association :

(3) in the case of a payment under paragraph (b) aforesaid, the meeting or conference has been previously approved by the Minister, or, in the case of a meeting or conference to be held for the purpose of discussing educational matters, by the Board of Education; (ii) except with the previous sanction of the Minister, no payment shall be made in respect of the expenses of more than three persons attending any meeting or conference, or in respect of the expenses of persons attending any meeting or conference outside the United Kingdom;

(iii) a subsistence allowance shall not be paid unless the member, by reason of attending the meeting, is obliged to be absent for more than six hours from his ordinary place of abode, and the amount of the allowance shall not exceed a sum sufficient to meet such actual expenses as ought reasonably to be incurred by the member. (2) Any approval given by the Minister or Board of Education under this section may be withdrawn at any time by the Minister or the Board, as the case may be.

(3) Nothing in this section shall affect the provisions of the County Councils Association (Expenses) Act, 1890, the Poor Law Unions Association (Expenses) Act, 1898, or the County Councils Association Expenses (Amendment) Act, 1920, or authorise any payment in respect of any matter in respect of which a payment may be made under those Acts.

(4) In this section the expression "local authority means any authority having power to levy a rate within the meaning of the Local Loans Act, 1875.

Power of trustees to invest in county council mortgages.

19. Section one of the Trustee Act, 1893, (which specifies the securities in which trust funds may be invested), shall have effect as though there were included therein mortgages granted after the passing of this Act by a county council under the authority of any Act or Provisional Order and secured on the county fund or on any revenues or any part of any revenues of the council.

Sanction of contributions by officers of a local authority to authority's loans.

20. Notwithstanding anything in section one hundred and ninety-three of the Public Health Act, 1875, or in any other enactment prohibiting any officer or servant of a local authority from being concerned or interested in any bargain or contract made with that authority, no officer or servant of a local authority shall be incapable of holding any office or employment under that Act or otherwise, or be liable to any penalty, by reason only of his having, whether before or after the passing of this Act, lent any money to that authority on any mortgage or other security.

Subscription by local authorities to local savings committees.

21. A local authority may, subject to the approval of the Minister, contribute to the expenses of any local savings committee established for their area, or any part thereof, and any sums contributed by a local authority under this section shall be paid out of such fund or rate as the Minister may direct.

Purchase and appropriation of land.

23. (1) The council of a county or a metropolitan borough may, subject to the approval of the Minister, appropriate for any purpose for which they may be authoriesd to acquire land any land acquired by the council for some other purpose and not required for that purpose:

Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to the appropriation of any land for educational purposes or to the appropriation of land acquired for educational purposes for any other purposes, or effect the operation of any enactment relating to any such appropriation.

(2) Section ninety-five of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act, 1907 (which makes provision with respect to the purchase and appropriation of land by certain local authorities), shall extend and apply to every district in England and Wales to which it has not been applied by an order made under section three of that Act as if had been so applied.

Short title, extent, and repeal.

26. (1) This Act may be cited as the Ministry of Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1920.

(2) This Act shall not apply to Scotland.

(3) The enactments specified in the Second Schedule to this Act are hereby repealed to the extent mentioned in the third column of that Schedule.

SCHEDULES.

FIRST SCHEDULE.

PROVISIONS AS TO THE COMPULSORY HIRING OF HOUSES BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

1. Where a local authority propose to hire a house compulsorily under this Act they may make an order for the purpose in the prescribed form.

2. The order shall be published, and notice thereof shall be given to the owner of the house, in the prescribed manner.

3. The order shall be submitted to the Minister and shall be of no effect until it has been confirmed by him, and confirmation by the Minister shall be conclusive evidence that the requirements of this Act have been complied with, and that the order has been duly published and made and is within the powers of this Act.

4. No compensation otherwise than by way of rent shall be payable in respect of the house compulsorily hired and in determining the amount of the rent no additional allowance shall be made on account of the hiring being compulsory.

5. The local authority shall be entitled to enter into possession of the house as soon as the order has been confirmed by the Minister, notwithstanding that the amount of the rent has not been determined.

6. In default of agreement as to the amount of rent to be paid by the local authority, or as to the other terms of the tenancy, the amount of the rent or the other terms shall be fixed by an official arbitrator appointed under the Acquisition of Land (Assessment of Compensation) Act, 1919, and the provisions of that Act shall apply for the purpose, subject to the prescribed modifications.

7. In fixing the amount of rent to be paid regard shall be had to any sums which may have been, or may require to be, spent by the local authority in putting the house into a condition reasonably fit for human habitation.

8. Where the amount which was originally estimated as sufficient to put the house into a state reasonably fit for human habitation subsequently appears to the local authority not to be sufficient for that purpose, the local authority may with the consent of the Minister apply to have the rent payable reassessed by the official arbitrator.

9. In this schedule the expression prescribed" means prescribed by the Minister, and the expression

owner

means

any person who would at any time during the term for which the house is compulsorily hired have been entitled to the possession thereof if the house had not been so hired.

IN PARLIAMENT.

Answers to Questions.

Luxury Building.

Mr. Hancock asked the Minister of Health whether the London County Council has exercised the powers given to local authorities by the Housing (Additional Powers) Act relative to the restriction of luxury building; and, if so, whether he will give particulars ? Dr. Addison: Up to the 31st July the London County Council had issued prohibition orders under Section 5 of the Housing (Additional Powers) Act in respect of 60 buildings, comprising 42 cinemas, eight commercial buildings, three theatres, three clubs, three buildings for billiards and other games, and one music hall.-16th August, 1920.

Hemel Hempstead B. Oxendon R.D.

Brackley B. Blofield R.D. Ely R.D... Lowestoft B. Norwich C.B.

District.

No. of Houses.

144

766

No tenders.

A Type.

В Туре.

of drainage

Rochford R.D. ..

30

and fences.) 800

900/950 933/908 1,328 (Including drainage and fences.) 1,053

Mr. Kiley asked the Minister of Health whether he will have a Return laid upon the Table of the House showing what proportion of the building operatives of each type is engaged on the building of working-class houses; and what proportion is engaged on other kinds of building, respectively?

Dr. Addison supplies the following statement of the numbers of skilled operatives in the building trades and of the numbers employed on State-aided housing schemes of local authorities and public utility societies in England and Wales, in accordance with his answer of 4th August last :

Occupation.

Manchester T.

Newton in

U.D.

500

Makerfield

500

890

960

To be agreed. 1,100

757 844 Tenders withdrawn. No tenders asked. 800 Tenders withdrawn. No tenders asked. 1,250

Carpenter

Bricklayer Slater and Tiler

Plasterer

Painter

150

*Total Number of men employed in the Building

Industry or on the construction of works in

January, 1920.
108,199

53,063

3,673

12,067

97,251

31,249

(Contract

broken and

L.A. allowed

to complete

No limiting price arranged.

840

up to maxi

mum price.)

740

Ledbury R.D.

Worcester B.

Birmingham C.B.

925/975 1,037/1,190
1,000
929

No tenders. 865 1,104 &1,130

No tenders.
No tenders.

No tenders.

740 (1/12/19). Withdrawn

No tenders.
792

872
(Including ante-May
rates.)

879 (including ante-May rates.

*These are the latest figures of the numbers of operatives insured against unemployment: they do not include building operatives employed in other industries, e.g., shipbuilding.

These figures do not include the numbers of operatives employed in the building of working-class houses not included in the schemes of local authorities or public utility societies.

-16th August, 1920.

Rents.

Lieut.-Colonel Fremantle asked the Minister of Health if he will make a definite statement of the intention of his Majesty's Government to secure an economic rent at an early date for all State-aided houses, and will emphasise publicly the fact that every concession in building plans or in cost of labour or material will eventually fall on the tenant.

Dr. Addison: It is the intention of the Government to adhere to the regulations which require that after 31st March, 1927, economic rents on the cost of building at that time shall, as far as possible, be obtained. Any alteration in building plans which adds to the cost of building will clearly increase the rent which will require to be paid.

Sir F. Hall: Will the right hon. gentleman say what is an economic rent, and what will be an economic rent?

Dr. Addison: I must ask for notice of that.-16th August, 1920.