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building dwelling houses on a large scale, to let at low rents, are
absolutely prohibitive. The prices are such as can only be paid
for commercial concerns. It is an inevitable change which it is
in the main impossible to prevent. Rather is it desirable to meet
the change and recognise it as an increasing factor in the future.
It is as useless as it is undesirable to attempt to stem it. All it
needs is guidance, supervision, and direction.
The improvement schemes now in the process of being carried
out will displace 1,700 persons. Other areas which are about to
be, or are being, dealt with will displace some hundreds more.
There will also be other persons displaced owing to the
substitution of warehouses and factories for dwelling-houses.
At present, accommodation is to be provided in the Borough by
the London County Council for the 1,700 persons displaced.
And further accommodation in the Borough ought to be provided,
if practicable, for some, at all events, of the remaining persons
displaced. † These matters are receiving the consideration of the
Housing Committee. But merely increasing the house accommodation
is not the whole of the solution, or, indeed, the most
important part of the solution, of the housing problem in
Finsbury. To re-house large numbers of persons within some
Boroughs may be the primary and essential remedy. In
Finsbury, such a policy, on the part of the Municipal Authority,
would seriously and permanently aggravate the evil conditions at
present existing
The policy which has been adopted by this Department
† The applicability of the method of enlargement and improvement of
existing houses as carried out by Miss Octavia Hill, and also in Glasgow,
should have due consideration before houses are demolished as wholly
irremediable, and before new houses are built.
° It will be understood that this remark does not apply to re-housing
persons displaced by sanitary schemes under Hart 11. of the Housing of
the Working Classes Act, nor to re-housing in suburban or outside
districts. But all re-housing in Finsbury must almost of necessity be
re-housing the very poor upon very costly land, and so eventually
necessitating a large charge on the rates.