2. He should ask if the Local Authority are prepared to consider a proposal from him to build houses on that site to be purchased by them, and should acquaint the Commissioner with the views obtained.

3. If the proposal is entertained, he should then submit a detail plan of the land, showing roads, lay-out of houses, etc., together with one-eighth scale plans of proposed houses and draft specification or, as an alternative may direct the Local Authority's attention to a sample house that already exists on the estate or in the vicinity. The Ministry of Health's model specification will be supplied to the builder for his guidance and the construction of the houses which he proposes to erect shall not be inferior to the standard of the model specification.

4. He should also at this stage quote an approximate price at which he is prepared to sell the houses and the freehold of the land. The price of the house shall be lump sum per house including the land, street making, and all other expenses (see (c) of Model Heads of Agreemeni, paragraph 8, below).

5. The price of the land should preferably be for the freehold if reasonably possible; the building upon leasehold land will, however, not be excluded from operations under Section 12 (3) of the Act of 1919 as proposed. If the builder has only a building agreement he should, if possible, obtain the freehold or an option to purchase upon the completion of his contract with the Local Authority.

6. He should obtain the approval of the Housing Commissioner of his district, both as to the plans and the cost at which the houses are intended to be sold to the Local Authority. It is suggested that the more convenient method whereby agreement could be reached between the parties concerned would be to have a three party conference of Local Authority, builder, and representative of the Ministry of Health. It is desirable that these conferences should be held in the early stages of the negotiations.

7. Upon general agreement being reached, the Local Authority would enter into an agreement with the builder and submit same through the Commissioner for the approval of the Ministry.

8. A model form of agreement should be drafted.* The "Model Heads of Agreement" should include the following, viz. :—

(a) The builder will erect a certain number of houses in accordance with plans and specifications adjusted between parties. (b) The Local Authority will purchase the houses at certain lump sum figures to be specified.

(c) The cost of the land and the value of any street and sewerage work shall be definitely provided for according to local custom to be defined in the agreement.

(d) There shall be no variation from these lump sums on account of increased costs of material. The contract shall provide a break clause for the protection of the builder. Any increase in rates of wages of labour authorised by the

* A model form of contract for sale is being prepared.

Ministry of Labour which the builder may have to pay shall be ascertained and reimbursed to him. For the purpose of ascertaining the additional sums due to the builder on account of such increased rates of wages the following arrangements shall apply:

The builder shall notify the Local Authority of any authorised increase in wages which it will be necessary for the builder to pay. The Local Authority will then inspect the work and agree as to the position. For work already executed at that date there will, of course, be no additional payment due. For work not commenced the increase due to the builder shall be calculated for the particular trade affected upon the percentages as defined in the table forming Schedule A hereto.

The proportion of the cost of labour, viz., one-third of the total price of the house, and the percentages of the cost of labour as defined by the Schedule A will be regarded as fixed and definite for the purpose of calculating any extra payments due to the builder.

For instance: If the builder's price for the house is £660, the cost of the labour shall be taken as one-third, or £220.

If the bricklayers' rate of wages is increased from 20d. to 22d. per hour, or 10 per cent., the sum payable to the builder in respect thereof shall be 10 per cent. of 16.2 per cent. of £220, or £3.56 per house.

If the carpenters' rate is increased from 174d. to 21d. per hour, or 20 per cent., the sum payable to the builder in respect thereof shall be 20 per cent. of 27 per cent. of £220, or £11.88 per house.

For those houses partly completed an adjustment would need to be made by the builders and the surveyor as early as possible after the builders' notice with reference to extra wages.

(e) The dates upon which the houses will be completed and
handed over to the Local Authority will be specified.
(f) There shall be a provision for bonuses to operate if the times
for completion are anticipated.

(g) Materials may be obtained from the Ministry of Munitions
Director of Building Materials Supply, on the same terms
as they are supplied to the Local Authorities.

(h) The arrangements for payment shall be prescribed whether by a lump sum payment on the completion of the houses or by periodical instalments to account, the security offered in the latter case should be definitely provided for.

9. In the case of periodical instalments to account being required the arrangements for finance should be defined. It is suggested that the arrangements should be somewhat as follows, viz. :

:

Payment will be made upon the certificate of a surveyor to be

In case of difference of opinion arising as to the sufficiency or otherwise in relation to the payments, the questions shall be referred for decision to the Arbitrator nominated.

10. All advances to bear interest at one per cent. above bank rate from the date agreed for completion.

II. A fair wages clause would be inserted.

12. There should be provision for the substitution of materials or fittings, or other amendments might be made which would secure the greater acceleration of the work, provided that such amendment or substituted material or fitting was equally good as that originally provided for.

13. A reference would be provided for in case of dispute arising with regard to the quality of the work or the materials employed.

SCHEDULE A.

The amount of the labour costs shall be taken to be one-third of the price of the house.

The proportional costs of such labour shall be taken to be represented by the following percentages, viz. :

*Where the freehold is not obtainable and the agreement has reference to approved leasehold the terms will be adjusted accordingly.

CIRCULAR OF MINISTRY OF HEALTH.

Circular 43.

Ministry of Health,

Whitehall, S.W.1.

November 24th, 1919.

Sir, I am directed by the Minister of Health to draw attention to questions which have arisen in regard to the reception in poor law institutions of ex-service men who apply to poor law authorities for casual relief.

It may probably be within the knowledge of your authority that a special scheme for dealing with this class of case was prepared by the North Western Vagrancy Committee and put into operation with the approval of the Local Government Board. The scheme provided (1) for the reception of such cases, on the production of discharge papers, into the main institution of the authority to whom the application was made, and (2) for an immediate reference of the case to the Local War Pensions Committee. Subsidiary provisions were directed to the compilation of statistics for the area of the Vagrancy Committee.

Both the North Western Vagrancy Committee and the Local Government Board took steps to bring this scheme to the knowledge of the Vagrancy Authorities, and similar schemes have, with the approval of the Local Government Board, very generally been brought into force.

It has, however, been suggested by the Ministry of Pensions, after consultation with the Ministry of Labour, that the scheme of the North Western Vagrancy Committee now requires some modification to keep it in harmony with the assignment of duties to the Government Departments concerned. It is pointed out by the Ministry of Pensions that, with the progress of demobilisation, the proportion of ex-service men who are disabled is growing steadily less; that, even as regards disablement, industrial training and employment are matters now dealt with by the Ministry of Labour; and that the problem of dealing with vagrant ex-service men may in the future be expected to be almost wholly one of employment.

It is therefore suggested that the scheme as originally designed by the North Western Vagrancy Committee should in the future be applied only in two classes of case, namely:

(a) where the man is disabled by war service and is in need of medical treatment, and

(b) where the man states that he is entitled to a pension and is

not receiving it,

and that in every other case the Poor Law Authority, if satisfied that the man is genuinely seeking employment at the time when he applies for relief, should not refer him to the Local War Pensions Committee, but should communicate directly with the appropriate Local Office of the Ministry of Labour and urge the man to register

there.

The manager of the office will then endeavour to place the man in suitable employment.

A similar course should be adopted in the case of ex-service men other than vagrants.

I am, Sir,

The Clerk to the Guardians, or

Your obedient Servant,

H. W. S. FRANCIS,
Assistant Secretary.

The Clerk to the Vagrancy Committee.

MEMORANDUM OF MINISTRY OF HEALTH. Memo. 6 (Revised)/M.C.W.

SUPPLY OF SUGAR TO CHILD WELFARE CENTRES. The Ministry of Health have arranged with the Sugar Distribution Branch of the Ministry of Food for a continuance of the extra supply of sugar already authorised for the use of artificially fed children who are regularly brought to Child Welfare Centres, with certain modifications necessitated by the altered system of sugar distribution now in force. The extra ration of sugar will consist of four ounces per week per child, and must only be given on the certificate of the Medical Officer or Superintendent of the Centre that the child is over six and under 18 months old, that it needs an additional supply of sugar, and that it is not attending a day nursery or other institution where an extra allowance of sugar might be obtained. Care must be taken that the sugar is not supplied to women who come to the Centre merely for the purpose of obtaining sugar, and the Ministry consider that it should be given only in the case of children who have attended the Centre regularly before they were weaned, and who continue to attend for the purpose of receiving hygienic and medical advice.

The extra sugar should be given to the mother at the Centre itself, and only when the child is brought to the Centre.

A Centre which wishes to take advantage of this arrangement must fill up the annexed form of application and return it to the Ministry, who after examining the application will make a recommendation to the Sugar Distribution Branch to send a supply of sugar to the Centre. The Centre may nominate a particular wholesaler through whom they wish to obtain supplies, or may leave it to the Sugar Distribution Branch to do this. In buying the sugar wholesale the Centre must send cash on receipt of invoice before the sugar is delivered.

The Sugar Distribution Branch will issue the necessary authority to obtain supplies at the rate recommended by the Ministry for a period of three months as a rule, and one month before the expiration of the authority the Centre must make a fresh application if a further supply is desired. A form of application will be sent on request.