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(b) to acquire any estate or interest in any houses which may be
made suitable as dwelling houses for the working-classes,
together with any lands occupied with such houses;
(c) to acquire land for the purpose of:—
(i) The lease or sale of the land, under the powers
conferred by this Act, with a view to the erection thereon of
dwelling-houses for the working-classes by persons other
than the local authority.
(ii) The lease or sale under the powers conferred by this
Act of any part of the land acquired with a view to the
use thereof for purposes which, in the opinion of the local
authority, are necessary or desirable for or incidental to the
development of the land as a building estate, including the
provision, maintenance, and improvement of houses and
gardens, factories, workshops, places of worship, places of
recreation, and other works or buildings for or for the
convenience of persons belonging to the working-classes and
other persons.
These Sections seem to be very comprehensive and wide in the
powers they give.
It is interesting to note here the history and difficulty of the
Housing question as illustrated by the Acts of Parliament relating to
housing. These are many, and are in addition to the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, or kindred Sanitary measures. I append a list as
follows:—
The Labouring Classes Lodging Houses or Dwelling Houses Acts,
1851, 1866 and 1867.
The Artisans' and Labourers' Dwellings Acts, 1868, 1875, 1879.
and 1882.
The Public Works Loans Acts, 1879, 1881, 1914 and 1922.
The Housing Acts, 1885, 1890, 1893, 1894, 1900, 1903, 1909
1919, 1921, 1923, 1924 and 1925.
The Small Dwellings Acquisition Acts, 1899—1923.
In addition there are large numbers of Orders and Regulations
bearing on the subject.
The question of how far the Slate should intervene in the matter
of housing is one upon which very widely divergent views are held, and
about which those who are well qualified to advise hold entirely
opposite opinions. What is clear, however, is the fact that means have
yet to be devised for preventing the manufacture of slums, and to make
it not only undesirable, but unprofitable, to own insanitary property.
The other important piece of legislation is the Tenement House
By-laws, which were approved on 5th March, 1926. They were made
by the London County Council on 17th November, 1925, under the
Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and Section 6 of the Housing Act,