The only opposition came from one or two ardent Socialists, who wished to express their complete distrust of private enterprise, and to cast the whole burden of building working-class dwellings on the municipalities. It will be observed that these resolutions do not demand heroic remedies; they are, in fact, the natural outcome of the sane and serious spirit which characterized all the meetings. The second part of the first resolution was inserted with the object of excluding a remedy which has been suggested by certain politicians -namely, the institution of fair rent courts in London.

The resolutions are as follows:

"I. That this conference recognizes the fact that over-crowding in London is mainly due to the existence of a house famine, which causes rents to become artificially high; and is of opinion that, if the supply of accommodation could be increased in proportion to the demand, rents would be reduced to a normal level.

"II. That it is desirable that municipal bodies should make full use of their powers in order to supply increased accommodation; that such action should not involve a charge upon the rates, and that to this end restrictions on the exercise of such powers should be as far as possible removed, e.g.

"(1) The period for the repayment of loans for building workingclass dwellings should be extended to a hundred years.

"(2) Land bought for the purpose of building working-class dwellings should be counted as an asset, i.e. its value as subject to the obligation to build such dwellings should not be included in the sinking fund.

"III. That suitable private bodies should be assisted in the work of providing working-class dwellings (1) by increased facilities for borrowing money; (2) by the grant of leases of public land for this purpose on specially favourable terms.

"IV. That it is desirable that the cost of clearance schemes should be reduced by making the terms of compulsory purchase of grossly insanitary areas more severe.

"V. That the building of block dwellings in central districts to compensate for houses destroyed in the course of clearance schemes is of doubtful value, unless the rents of such dwellings can be fixed on a scale within the reach of the class of the persons displaced.

"VI. That, since the supply of facilities for cheap and rapid transit is an essential condition of the increase of house accommodation, every means should be taken to compel railway companies to fulfil their obligations under the Cheap Trains Act, and the tramway services should be improved and extended.

"VII. That municipal bodies should acquire land for building purposes in new districts, and supply means of communication by the construction of tramways."

RICHARD FEETHAM.

THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SCOTTISH COUNCIL FOR WOMEN'S TRADES Sustains its reputation as a record of interesting and effective work. Arising out of a smaller body more especially devoted to the organization of women workers, this Council now takes cognizance of all questions relating to female labour. Its operations are controlled by three committees. Committee A, Industrial Investigations-to investigate and report on the conditions of employment among women and children; Committee B, Industrial Organization-to promote trade combination among working women; Committee C, Parliamentary Bills to watch the progress of, and to promote legislation in, the interests of women and children.

The research work done under the direction of Committee A is very valuable. Three special inquiries have been undertaken: (1) the conditions of home work among women in the shirt-making and kindred trades; (2) the conditions of home work among women in the miscellaneous minor trades; (3) the conditions of employment in the tailoring and dressmaking trades. The latter has been completed within the period under review, and the results of some minor investigations have also been tabulated.

In its work of introducing the equivalent of trade union organization among women workers, Committee B has made little progress. The hindrances are summarized as follows by the convener (the Rev. A. C. Laughlin): the idea of uniting as a precaution of mutual defence is a novel one; the congested and overcrowded state of the women's labour market induces a woman to cling to any situation, whatever may be the remuneration offered; the satisfaction of earning a mere "pocket-money wage;" the feeling that employment is only temporary, and will probably not be continued after marriage. The result being that women dumbly acquiesce in inadequate pay, unduly long hours, and insanitary surroundings, and do not respond to the efforts made on their behalf.

To effect its objects, therefore, the Women's Trades Council looks more to the influence of an enlightened public opinion, and to the promotion of suitable legislation. It is helping to form public opinion by its reports on the conditions prevailing in women's trades, and its Committee C prepares, introduces, and supports Bills which aim at effecting necessary improvements. The Seats for Shop Assistants VOL. X.-No. 4.

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Bill, for instance, owes its origin entirely to this Council, and was drafted after an investigation into the conditions of women's employment in shops.

Two other bills have also been introduced. One, for the amendment and consolidation of the Factory and Workshops Acts, has been specially prepared for this Council; and as it has also been adopted by the Scottish Trade Union Congress, it may be regarded as the official Labour Bill for Scotland. The bill has been introduced by Mr. Caldwell, M.P. The third bill, which is in the charge of Colonel Denny, M.P., aims at the regulation of home work, and is promoted by this Council and the Women's Industrial Council of London. By it all workers are required to obtain a certificate from the factory inspector certifying that the homes in which the work is to be done are in a proper sanitary condition.

F. W. MOOre.

LEGISLATION, PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRIES,

AND OFFICIAL RETURNS.

THE statutes passed in 1900, like those of 1899, form but a thin volume, and a considerable proportion of this relates to the war. There are, however, a few which are interesting to the economist.

The Census (Great Britain) Act, 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., ch. 4, 8 pp., ld.), does not differ much in substance from its predecessors, though its form has been considerably altered. In addition to the particulars hitherto mentioned-name, sex, age, occupation, relation to head of the family, infirmities (blind, deaf and dumb, imbecile), number of rooms if not more than five-the householder is to be asked for the nationality of any person whom he returns as born abroad. He has long been asked to write "British subject" and "naturalized British subject" opposite the names of natural-born or naturalized British subjects born abroad, but this has been done without authority, and, in 1891, in defiance of the law, which expressly states that no other particulars are to be asked for. It may be presumed that the change is due to the suggestion of the Statistical Society's Committee, to the effect that all nationalities, and not merely British nationality, should be asked for. There is no mention in the Act of the distinction, which was drawn in 1891, between employers and employed; but this question was introduced into the 1891 census without parliamentary authority, perhaps as covered by the term "occupation," so that it may appear again. No great regret would be felt if it does not.

The Mines (Prohibition of Child Labour Underground) Act, 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., ch. 21, 1 p., d.), is a very short Act, which simply substitutes thirteen for twelve in the age limit of employment.

The Railway Employment (Prevention of Accidents) Act, 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., ch. 27, 7 pp., 1d.), is of a somewhat technical character. Briefly speaking, its effect is to give the Board of Trade the same kind of power in regard to railway employment which the Home Secretary possesses in regard to dangerous trades.

The Workmen's Compensation Act, 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., ch. 22, 2 pp., d.), applies the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1897, to employers who habitually employ one or more workmen in agriculture.

The Burial Act, 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., ch. 15, 8 pp., 14d.), apparently carries out the recommendations of the committee whose Report was summarized in the Economic Review for January, 1899. When the Act comes into force, on the first day of the new century, consecration of part of a cemetery will no longer necessitate the building of a chapel exclusively reserved for Church of England services. The forty-eight hours' notice is done away with, and provision is made for the eventual disappearance of all fees, except those paid for actual services rendered. The difficulties which in Oxford and several other places have led local authorities to try to manage without consecration having been thus cleared away, no one is likely to quarrel with the further provisions which secure that at least a suitable portion of the ground shall be consecrated if there is any demand for it.

The Money-Lenders Act, 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., ch. 51, 4 pp., d.), also carries out in substance the recommendations of a committee whose Report was summarized in the Economic Review for January, 1899. After the 1st of November, 1900, no money-lender can be sure of getting what his debtor has contracted to pay. When he sues for the debt, the Court, if satisfied that the interest or other charges are "excessive, and that the transaction is harsh or unconscionable, or is otherwise such that a court of equity would give relief," may reduce the interest and charges to what it considers to be "fairly" due, considering the risk and other circumstances of the loan. Moreover, the borrower may himself invoke the Court before he is sued at all, and the same power may then be exercised by it. All money-lenders must be registered, and trade under their registered name and at their registered address or addresses, and nowhere else and under no other name. To the question, What is a money-lender? the Act returns a cautious reply, to the effect that it is any one whose business is, or is alleged by himself to be, money-lending. It then excepts from this comprehensive definition various classes, such as pawn-brokers, bankers, friendly, loan, and building societies.

The Companies Act, 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., ch. 48, 18 pp., 24d.), is a somewhat abstruse work, containing a number of provisions intended to hamper the swindling promoter and the guinea-pig director in their nefarious work. It is probably of much greater interest to such persons than to the readers of this Review.

It is much to be hoped that the Report from the Select Committee on Hospitals (Exemption from Rates), with Proceedings and Minutes (Commons Paper, No. 273, fol., 128 pp., 1s.), will not meet with as much success as the Reports of the Burial and Money-lenders Committees. Mr. Bonsor, Dr. Farquharson, Mr. Hayes Fisher, Sir Cameron