View report page

116
of Health to increase the payments of the Corporation. The matter has not yet
been dealt with by the Minister, but negotiations are taking place between the
Council and the Corporation with a view to a settlement by agreement, if possible.
Local
sewers.
Section 69 of the Metropolis Management Act, 1855, provides that no local
sewer shall be made without the approval of the Council. During 1922, the construction
or reconstruction of 72,340 feet of sewers of various sizes has been
sanctioned.
The Council when approving the construction of the local sewers acrossPlumstead
marshes made it a condition that no drain connections should be made
thereto north of the South-Eastern Railway. Representations were recently made
by the Woolwich Metropolitan Borough Council with the object of securing the
waiving of this condition, in order that there might be no impediment to the building
of factories upon the marshes. The Council decided not to waive the condition,
but informed the borough council that the Council would be disposed to consider
favourably any scheme for the soil drainage of premises, other than dwelling-houses,
situated on the land adjoining the sewers, provided that arrangements were made
whereby no drain, manhole cover or trap would have any opening at a lower level
than 9 feet above Ordnance datum, that is, about 3 feet higher than the ground
level.
Buildings
etc., over
sewers.
Under section 204 of the Metropolis Management Act, 1855, and section 68 of
the Metropolis Management (Amendment) Act, 1862, no building or any other
encroachment may be erected in, over or under any sewer vested in the Council
except with the Council's consent. During 1922 the Council gave its consent in
15 such cases.
"Redemption
tithe.
The tithes on certain main drainage properties has been redeemed at a cost of
£7,120.
CHAPTER XXVII.
HOUSING.
Powers and
duties of the'
Council.
The powers of the Council in relation to the housing of the working classes are
derived from the Housing Acts, 1890 to 1921. Apart from administrative duties,
the main divisions of the work are (a) the provision of new dwellings to meet the need
for additional accommodation, and (b) the improvement or reconstruction of
unhealthy areas, including the provision of dwellings for rehousing the personsdisplaced.
Stateassisted
housing]
scheme.
In conformity with section 1 (1) of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919,
the Council in July, 1919, submitted for the approval of the Minister of Health a
scheme *for the provision of working-class dwellings to meet the needs of London
and for the improvement of housing conditions therein. Under the Act any financial
loss on the scheme as well as losses on schemes undertaken by metropolitan borough
councils, so far as they exceed the produce of a penny rate, are to be borne by the
National Exchequer.
Owing to financial stringency, the house-building programme, as agreed by the
Minister of Health, was considerably curtailed, and eventually the number of houses
to be built by the Council under the scheme, apart from dwellings for rehousing in
connection with clearance schemes, was reduced from 29,000 to about 8,810.
Towards the end of 1921 upwards of 10,000 workmen were engaged at the
several estates, and the year 1922 produced substantial results, no fewer than 5,186
houses being completed during the year, making a total at 31st December, 1922, of
6,406 houses erected since the war.
* For details see Annual Report for 1920, vol III., p. 124.