PARLIAMENT AND HOUSING LEGISLATION. In 1901, the London County Council promoted a Bill which proposed to levy a rate of 2/- in the on the site values of London, which were estimated to be about £16,000,000 a year, but no progress was made in Parliament. The Glasgow City Council have also brought forward a Bill for taxing land values, and although it has little prospect at present of getting through Parliament, a very large number of municipalities have petitioned in favour of it. It proposed to levy a rate of 2/- in the £ on a ratable value equivalent to 4 per cent. of the capital value. Committee on Rehousing of the Working Classes.During the year 1902 two useful committees were appointed by Parliament to deal respectively with— (1) The rehousing obligations of railway companies, and others, who demolished workmen's dwellings ; (2) The extension of the period of municipal loans, especially in connection with housing schemes. The first Committee was appointed owing to action taken by the Hon. Claude Hay, one of the most active and capable of the younger Conservative members, who called attention in a most effective manner to the neglect of rehousing by one of the biggest railway companies. After hearing considerable evidence, the Committee made the following recommendations: (1) We submit two model clauses and three corresponding standing orders, which we recommend in place of the present model clauses and standing orders, 38 and 111 (H. L.), 38 and 163A (H. C.), dealing with London and all places outside London respectively. (2) We suggest that the model clauses be embodied in a public general Act of Parliament. (3) After hearing evidence and consulting the officials of the Home Office and Local Government Board, we have come to the conclusion that in London it is desirable that every case in which houses of the labouring class are proposed to be taken should be notified to the central authority, while outside London it is sufficient that the attention of the central au hority should be called to cases in which thirty persons belonging to the labouring class are displaced in one borough, urban district, or rural parish, as the case may be. (4) In settling schemes for providing new houses in place of those demolished, we think it advisable that the central authority should exercise a full discretion. (5) We recommend that the new houses to be provided be suitable for persons of the labouring class, and not too ambitious in character and design. We attach much importance to these conditions. (6) It will be observed that the area under a scheme is left by us wholly to the discretion of the central authority. It may be, and we think will be, found expedient in some cases to erect the new houses at some considerable distance from the houses demolished and not necessarily within the jurisdiction of the same local authority. (7) We recommend that in London the central authority be empowered to fix all rents for the new hous' s. On this point we are not agreed. The above decision was arrived at on a division by six votes to three. (8) In regard to Ireland and Scotland, we were informed that neither the LordLieutenant of Ireland nor the Secretary for Scotland desired to make any suggestions So far as we can judge, our recommendations or places outside London are, with the necessary alterations, suitable for Ireland and Scotland. to us. These recommendations should be compared with Chapter VI. Committee on Repayment of Loans. The second committee was appointed as the result of an amendment to the address moved by Dr. T. J. Macnamara, a new member on the Liberal side, who has made his mark on more than one social question during the past two sessions of Parliament. The committee have made the following recommendations :— (1) That subject to the acceptance of the instalment system of repayment (see p. 162), the maximum period allowed in the case of loans under Part III of the Act of 1890 for sites for dwelling houses, should be extended to 80 years, provided that the fixing of the exact period within that maximum for each of such loans is left to be decided by the sanctioning authority, after consideration of the situation of the land, the price given for it, and all the circumstances of the locality. (2) With regard to building loans, the committee considered that the statutory maximum of 60 years is the longest term that can be allowed for loans under Part III, and within this maximum they did not think that any one period for repayment could be decided upon which would be universally appropriate. They were not prepared to say that the period of 40 years, usually allowed by he departments concerned, was either too long or too short, and each loan must be separately considered. The department concerned should in each case take into consideration not only the question of how long the buildings which are to be erected will remain in existence as dwellings, but also the question of how long the effective demand for dwellings of the proposed type in the proposed position will continue. The proposal for extending the period of repayment of housing loans to 100 years in the case of land, and 60 years in the case of buildings, has received the support of all the large workmen's organizations, of the Association of Municipal Corporations, and of the Sanitary Institute, but doctrinaire theorists have up to the present succeeded in preventing any material concession being made, and although Members of Parliament have talked very sympathetically about housing reforms, the division lists show that they are very chary of giving their votes. Taken altogether, the report of the Committee has been very disappointing to municipalities and housing reformers throughout the country, and it has strengthened the demand for government housing loans at low preferential rates of interest. Committee on Savings Banks Funds.-A Special Committee was appointed in 1902 to inquire into the general condition of savings banks and the authorised investments of their funds, which amount in the aggregate to nearly £200,000,000, of which amount, about £85,000,000 were in consols, the rate of interest in which will be reduced after April, 1903, from 23 to 2 per cent. It is estimated that this and other reductions in the rate of interest will cause deficiences of about £1,860,000 in the next six years in the income account of the funds. It was suggested that the difficulty might be met by extending the area of investment of the funds, but the Committee did not favour this, and they recommended a reduction in the rate of interest paid to depositors in savings banks of per cent., so as to be 23 per cent., instead of 2, as at present, This recommendation may be compared with the suggestions on pp. 164-5. Deputation of Municipalities Suggested Reforms in Procedure. A large deputation, representative of nearly all the local authorities in the United Kingdom), and accompanied by many members of Parliament, waited upon the President of the Local Government Board on May 28th, 1902, and submitted the following recommendations : (a) That when an application is made by a local authority for an improvement scheme, under the Act of 1890, one inquiry as to the expediency of the scheme should be sufficient. (b) That local authorities should be empowered to make closing orders without (c) That the Local Government Board, and the corresponding authority in No definite reply was given to the deputation. Housing of the Working Classes (Rural Districts) Bill. -A useful little Bill has been brought in by Sir Walter Foster and seven other Liberal members for rural constituencies. It provides for— (a) The acquisition of land for housing sites in rural districts in like manner and subject to the same provisions as to compensation as in the case of land acquired by Parish Councils under the Local Government Act of 1888. (b) The power to hire land compulsorily for housing purposes. (d) That the Parish Council, the Medical Officer of Health, or (e) That housing loans may be obtained from the Public Works Commissioners for a period of not less than 66 years at the rate of 2 per cent. per annum, or such other rate as will enable the loan to be made without loss to the Treasury. Housing of the Working Classes and Rating Bill.— A more drastic measure is the Bill introduced first by Mr. Steadman, and afterwards by Dr. Macnamara, in connection with the Workmen's Housing Council. Its chief provisions are as follows: Clause I provides for loans at 2 per cent., with 100 years as the maximum repayment period, and the setting aside of the present inability to borrow beyond twice the ratable value. (This limitation is imposed by the Public Health Acts, and in the case of the Education Act is set aside). Clause 2 provides for the use by Municipalities of surplus funds or profits for housing. Clause 3 provides for the rating of site values on the basis of the full capital selling value as declared by the owner. Clause 4 provides that local authorities may rate empty houses. Clause 5 provides (a) for the scheduling by the local authority of sites required, (b) six months' notice of acquisition at price already named as per Clause 3, (c) holding of land by authority to provide for future requirements, (d) giving local authorities in Scotland and Ireland power to buy outside land as possessed by those of England and Wales. Clause 6 provides for one-acre gardens to houses in rural districts. Clause 7 empowers four householders in any urban or rural district to "make representation" in respect of insanitary property or insufficiency of house accommodation, to get a public inquiry and enforce action by local authority. Clause 8 removes the disability of poor relief recipients to inhabit municipal dwellings. Clause 9 provides (a) that a slum shall be scheduled with its Clause 10 provides for returns of all proposed demolitions of cent. net return. Except as to the clause for fixing rents by means of fair rent courts, all advanced housing reformers are strongly in favour of this measure, but it is far too comprehensive and sweeping in its nature to be acceptable to the average Member of Parliament, and none of the leaders of either of the great political parties have yet ventured to advocate such bold reforms. It is valuable, however, because it presents in the form of a definite legislative proposal, the chief housing remedies which find favour among the most active and intelligent members of the various working class organisations. APPENDIX. CONTENTS: I. HOUSING OF THE WORKINg Classes Act, 1890:- ANNOTATED TEXT OF THE ACT PAGES I-54 |