houses in large towns, yet with the addition of gardens or allotments, and of recreation grounds, swimming baths, and indoor clubs. "Nothing," says Mr. Cadbury, "pays the manufacturer better"; and, he adds, "It would be the greatest boon to the toilers of this country, if it could be carried out to any large extent."

These large firms have not, it is true, established "Garden Cities," but Bournville and Port Sunlight illustrate many of the advantages which a Garden City would afford; and one of the objects of the project is to make it possible for numerous small undertakings, which could not go out singly, to secure the benefits which such removal, if well organised, may ensure.

Then, besides the establishment of new works in country districts in substitution for old works in crowded centres, there are numerous cases of branch factories being started in the country, and also—and these cases are perhaps equally numerous-the starting in open districts of entirely new works in connection with new industries which the progress of invention has created. As instances of the latter class, may be mentioned the Kodak Company's works at Harrow, and the Westinghouse Company's works at Old Trafford.

Mr. Troup, head of the Parliamentary Department of the Home Office, in his evidence given before the Joint Committee appointed to consider the hearing of the Private Bill Legislation on the Housing of the Working Classes, made the following remarks in reply to a question of the Chairman (the Earl of Camperdown) :

The relief of congested districts might be met by the removal of factories to the country. Of course, that was a general suggestion. The number of factories in London which employed over 100 persons was 748. The total number of employees was 200,000. With the wives and families this would represent a total population of 600,000. These figures referred to the administrative County of London. He had ascertained that there was already a tendency to remove the factories to the country.

On the score of sufficiency of space, it may be pointed out that the counties of Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire would absorb the population of London, in addition to their own population, more than three times over on the Garden City basis of five to the acre

The following figures, shewing the amount realised by a few large estates sold by auction in 1900-1901, give an indication of the probable cost of the site of a Garden City :—

acre.

Gateforth Hall, Selby, Yorks, 1,882 acres, for £85,000.
Whittlebury, Northants., 3,000 acres, for £100,000.

Clarendon Park, Wilts., 4,250 acres, for £80,000.

Reedham Hall, Norfolk, 1900 acres, for £45,000.

Berrington Hall, Eye, Suffolk, 3,200 acres, for £70,000.

Hinxton, Cambs., 1,910 acres, for £58,000.

Westwood Park, Worcester, 3,077 acres, for £70,000.
Elton Manor, Notts., 1075 acres, for £27,000.
Stukely Hall, Huntingdon, 1,050 acres, for £30,000.
Buris Wood, Speldhurst, Kent, 676 acres, for £28,000.

The average price paid for agricultural land in 1897 was £40 an
At this figure the cost of the estate would be £240,000. The

town site would occupy only about one-sixth of the whole area, and these 1,000 acres would cost about £40,000. At 4 per cent., this would amount to £1,600, and, divided by the population of 30,000, would average only 1/1 per head. Sites of parks and public buildings would occupy land purchased at agricultural price, and thus the rates would be very low in respect of those public institutions which are such a heavy burden elsewhere. Richmond, which is a town of about 30,000 population, has had to pay over £2,000 per acre for sites of such institutions, and in one year has had to buy land for street widening at the rate of £250,000 an acre.

For an annual levy of 6/- per head, the community would secure £9,000, which would be sufficient to pay the ground rent of the entire site, and, if thought desirable, secure—

(1) Building site of not less than 20 feet by 100 feet for each five persons, with a considerably higher average ;

(2) Road space of the amplest kind, no road being less than 90 feet wide, and several 120 feet wide;

(3) Ample sites for library, schools, churches, swimming baths, etc.;

(4) Sites for town hall and other municipal buildings;

(5) A central park of 145 acres, and a magnificent avenue 420 feet wide (Grand Avenue), extending in a circle of 3 miles ;

(6) Land required for a circular railway encompassing the town;

(7) 82 acres for warehouses, factories, etc., all of which would be situated on
the circular railway, and would thus economise greatly in cartage, etc. ;
(8) Site for arcade for shopping (Crystal Palace), the circular form of which
would bring it within 600 yards of the furthest removed inhabitant;

(9) 5,000 acres of agricultural land.

A second step towards the establishment of the first Garden City has been the formation of Garden City Pioneer Company, with a capital of £20,000, the whole of which has already been fully subscribed, for the purpose of doing such preliminary work as will result in the successful establishment of the actual Garden City Company. Some of the best known public men, manufacturers, and economists have given their adhesion to the scheme, and have taken up shares in the company, and it is fair to say that before many years are over the first Garden City will be an accomplished fact.

The great Co-operative Societies are already seriously considering as to the feasibility of a scheme financed entirely by themselves. They have ample funds, and a levy of a penny per month for three years from each co-operator would purchase the freehold of the first Garden City.

The London County Council and the great towns of the north might well acquire the site for a Garden City, and by co-operation with private enterprise successfully establish such a colony, either under the Housing Acts of 1890 and 1900, or under such local acts as might be necessary for the proper development of the scheme.

CHAPTER XV.

SUBURBAN HOUSING AND MODEL VILLAGES.

It is obvious that the ideal provision for the working classes of large towns is the Suburban Cottage, and there is no doubt that the great bulk of the improved housing of the working classes must be effected by the multiplication of Model Industrial Villages in the suburbs, consisting of various types of cottages at corresponding rentals, and accompanied by an improved system of cheap trams and trains.

Mention has already been made of the Manchester, Sheffield, and London County Council suburban housing schemes, but as these are not yet established, it will be useful to consider what has been done in this respect by others, and for this purpose three schemes of different types may be considered, all of which could be established under Part III of the Act of 1890.

(1) The London suburban villages of the Artisans Labourers and General Dwellings Company-types of a town estate of workmen's cottages;

(2) The village of Port Sunlight, near Birkenhead, established by Messrs. Lever Brothers—a type of what can be done by large manufacturers for the housing of their workpeople.

(3) The village of Bournville, near Birmingham, established by Mr. George Cadbury-a type of the residential garden villages that ought to be established round all centres of population.

MODEL ESTATES OF THE ARTIZANS DWELLINGS COMPANY. This Company was formed in 1867, with the idea of carrying out schemes for the construction and management of cheap, commodious, and sanitary working class dwellings all over the country, allowing only a fixed and limited rate of interest (5 per cent.) on its capital, and subject to this return, administering its large property in the interests of the tenants.

Altogether, the Company has gradually raised about £2,500,000 for its object, and now provides accommodation for between 30,000 and 40,000 people, mostly working men earning from 25/- to 50/- per week, but some of the superior houses are let to tenants with higher incomes, and the greater profits from these enable some of the cottages for the poorer classes to be let cheaper than they would otherwise have been.

Most of the houses are in London. Building work was actually begun in several provincial centres, such as Salford, Liverpool, Birmingham, Smethwick, and Gosport, but it was found preferable to restrict work in the main to London, where higher rentals could be obtained.

The capital of the Company now consists of about £1,500,000, in ordinary shares of 10, on which 5 per cent., free of income tax, has been regularly paid since 1879; also of about £1,000,000 preference stock, paying 4 per cent.

Four Model Industrial Villages in London. The property of the Company in London consists of four estates of cottage dwellings and small houses, and ten large block buildings in different parts of London. The cottage settlements are considered the more successful. The following particulars with regard to them may be useful.

The Shaftesbury Park Estate is at Lavender Hill, near Clapham Junction, S. W., and was the first large undertaking of the Company. It consists of 42 acres, covered by 30 shops, 1,135 single houses, 33 double houses, and one block of 22 tenements, costing about £370,000, and yielding a collective annual rental of about £28,000.

The Queen's Park Estate is near Harrow Road, W., and consists of 76 acres, covered by 116 shops, 2,076 single houses, 108 double houses, and a public hall, costing about £770,000, and yielding an annual rental of over £63,000.

The Noel Park Estate is about ten minutes from Hornsey and Wood Green Stations, in the north of London It consists of 100 acres, 50 of which are covered by 85 shops, 1,076 single houses, and 174 double houses, costing about £475,000, and yielding an annual rental of over £35,000.

The Leigham Court Estate is at Streatham, in the S. W. district of London, and consists of 66 acres, covered by 292 houses and 373 maisonettes (with two separate dwellings), yielding at present about £21,000 per annum. Most of these houses are for a superior class of residents, and building is not yet completed.

Description of Typical Estate-Noel Park.—The following short account of the Noel Park Estate may be taken in most respects as applying to each of the above-mentioned estates of the Company:—

This estate is laid out for building purposes, with a main avenue 60 feet wide, other avenues 50 feet wide, and cross streets 40 feet wide. As the houses are built, the roads are completely made up, channelled and curbed, and the footways are entirely paved with York stone, and planted at regular intervals, mostly with Plane trees. The general drainage of the estate, in accordance with the requirements of the Local Authorities, has been arranged on the dual system, the rain and surface water being kept separate from the sewage. No drains run through the houses, back drains with intercepting manholes, specially ventilated, being provided to all terraces.

There will be about 2,500 houses and shops built on this estate, mostly of five different classes, as shewn in the plans. About 1,305 houses are already built, and are already occupied.

Houses are built, generally speaking, in five classes, as follows:

In addition to these, an endeavour has been made to provide two separate dwellings by shutting off the staircase in the 3rd class houses, and arranging the upper floor so as to have a living room and two bedrooms, with an outside staircase down to the back garden, the closet and wash-house being held in common In the same

way, the plan of first-class houses has been developed so as to have a frontage of 19 feet, and two separate dwellings with separate entrances back and front on each floor, and a small additional bedroom, besides a w.C., wash-house, and scullery for each flat. The cost of these flats has varied from £300 to £500 for the double flat, and the rents from 4/6 to 8/6 per week for each single flat.

The general planning of these houses does not show any specially new arrangement, the type, with the exception of the fourth and fifth class houses and double flats, being that which seems to have been universally adopted in all town and suburban terrace dwellings.

The houses are all built with a layer of concrete over the whole area of the buildings; the walls are of brickwork, the party walls being hollow or 14 inch thick, to prevent the passage of sound between the tenements; slate and cement damp-proof courses are used; the walls are faced with red and yellow bricks, with terra cotta or artificial stone cills and flower guards; the roofs are mostly slated, but to give variety many are tiled; the whole being built with the best materials and designed to have a bright and cheerful appearance. There is a constant water supply, and no cisterns are used except the water waste preventors to the water-closets. The sanitary arrangements are of approved yet simple character, all waste and other pipes being discharged over open trapped yard gullies.

Some of the land not yet built upon is used for cricket and recreation grounds, and also allotment gardens. In order to promote thrift and self-respect, no publichouses or pawnbrokers' shops are allowed on the estate.

Management of the Estates.-The total working expenses on the four London cottage estates amount to about £40,000 on a rental of about £150,000, and although the houses have now been occupied many years, the expenses have always been below the average for this class of dwelling, owing to the admirable system of management. Tenants do not like to move, so losses from empties are pracically nil. Sometimes there are absolutely no arrears. The average loss from irrecoverable arrears is about one-eighth per cent.

Each settlement has its own superintendent, who is a practical builder, living on the spot, and who has to make regular, full, and frequent reports on the estate, with the assistance of a staff of collectors and officers, who are paid a gratuity, in addition to their fixed salary, for securing prompt payment of rent. Repairs foremen inspect the buildings and see what damage is done, or what repairs are needed, but the tenants are remarkably careful in this respect, and little has to be done. Committees of the Directors also periodically visit each estate. The danger arising from fire has been found to be so infinitesimal (only 103 lost in 14 years) that the Company, after paying £7,000 in 14 years, has discontinued insuring anything but the shops, forming instead an insurance fund of its own, which now stands at about £5,000.

The Company began by selling its houses on the Shaftesbury Park Estate, but this was found to be disadvantageous for purchasers in cases of removal for fresh employment, when they were left with the houses on their hands, and it also interfered with the successful management of the estate by the Company. Accordingly, most of the houses sold have been bought back, and at present no house is sold; all are only let.