View report page

36
of the population; therefore they do not draw "dole" unless they
have paid sufficient contributions. Naturally, all groups include a
certain number of work-shy or undesirable characters, but I know
of very few Commonwealth newcomers who would choose unemployment.
They are far more ambitious. Indeed, it is ambition
that brings them to England.
Another problem which was made even more acute by the bad
winter was that of the method of heating, and sometimes cooking,
in the large multi-occupied houses. I refer to the ubiquitous oil
heater. This is the only form of heat possible in this type of house
for people with slender resources and although many of these heaters
are structurally safe, the potential fire danger remains high, particularly
in houses that are draughty and where there are several children
in crowded rooms. This type of fire, started in one room, could
mean that the whole house is gutted. I spent a great deal of time
visiting houses of this description for the purpose of advising tenants
of the dangers that exist and ensuring they took all reasonable
precautions to prevent a tragedy. This situation creates particular
problems for the mother with sick children. As a newcomer she
may not have immediate friends or members of her family who can
assist, and consequently, when obliged to go out, has no alternative
but to leave the fire burning, at great risk, or to turn it out, leaving
the children in the cold.
As was inevitable, problems concerned with accommodation
and housing featured very extensively in my work. It was during
this period that matters came rather to a head as a result of publicity
given to the Rachman exposure. Apart from the many genuine
cases of hardship with which I was dealing, I also attracted numerous
problems and enquiries from individuals and groups, all of whom
were quite convinced that Rachman must be their landlord, and
that, as a result of the exposure, I should be able to do something to
help them. This situation put a nearly impossible load on my
shoulders, because investigations which in my particular work are
most time-consuming, nevertheless had to be carried out, and
frequently resulted in showing that the situation was one in which
the Council was powerless to intervene or assist. As we know, the
publicity at this time resulted in the Government deciding to set up a
Committee of Enquiry into the size of the problem and what steps
might be taken to overcome difficulties that exist. The practical
difficulty in pursuing the enquiries necessary, however, remains the
same, i.e. the fear of unprotected tenants that complaints will result
in eviction.
As a Welfare Officer I sometimes find myself in an extraordinarily
difficult position. In confidence, I have verified information
where regulations are breached but, at the same time, I am
implored by my client to prevent any action being taken, because
they know this will result in eviction, therefore inflicting even more
hardship on their families.
We should be deluding ourselves if we thought that the only
type of exploitation was the dramatic type symbolised by the
Rachman publicity or that any group had the monopoly of unscrupulous
people. We still have unsatisfactory landlords. We still have
unsatisfactory estate agents, and we must appreciate that there are
also unsatisfactory tenants.