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58
cases immediate enquiry is made into the home circumstances. The
London County Council has opened up new estates at Downham,
Becontree and elsewhere, but the relief afforded thereby to Deptford
has had little effect in reducing overcrowding.
It is of course an ideal thing to desire a house for each family, but
two circumstances make it essential that, as the east of High Street area
is cleared, tenements shall be erected. The reasons are (a) that the
dehoused must live near their work; and (b) that the inhabitants of
such area cannot pay the rent for houses such as those erected on the
Downham estate. I do not see where the difficulty comes in. We
have room in parts of the Borough where one or two tenements could
be erected. This would enable the tenement houses in Hales Street,
etc., to be pulled down piecemeal, provision having thus been made for
the dehoused tenants before such demolition It only needs a start.
These old east end houses have long outlived their span. Of the
inhabitants, one can but say it is the case of the soul of a man in the
house of a beast. Of course some are dirty in their habits and are not
good tenants, but only the insane say that these people are no worse
housed than they should be. When the Great War came, the men of
brawn in the east end were embraced by the army and navy as fine
fellows; there were great promises made as the men marched away.
And so to-day!!! Dr. Hastings, Medical Officer of Health of
Toronto, recently wrote: "Was it not unfortunate that Lord Nelson
when lie said at the battle of Trafalgar, 'England expects that every
man this day will do his duty,' did not add, 'And every man expects
England will do its duty.' "
Education and religion are the two principal things which will raise
humanity. Neither of these will effect much so long as children come
to schools from slums. Unemployment, of course, is a heartbreak, a
great problem, but surely some tenement houses could be built at once.
It is to the London County Council we look; the Borough Council has
done its share.
I have not here attempted to set forth a comparative statement
illustrative of the toll in disease which residence in the east of Deptford
exacts. These tables can be found in the pages of this Report, and
they are sordid facts which cannot be gainsaid.
So far I have dealt to a certain extent with the east end, though not
wholly, for the housing statistics given refer to all parts of the Borough.