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the Council, on 26th February, 1924, accepted the tender of Holland & Hannen
and Cubitts, Limited, by which the " standard prime value " was fixed at 2½ per
cent, below the Council's schedule of prices for the work. Rapid progress has
been made with the work, and by the end of the year under review upwards of 550
houses were in various stages of building. Altogether, including the houses in
course of erection, orders to commence had been issued to the contractors in respect
of 1,190 houses.
On 6th February and 13th December, 1924, the Council accepted the offer of
the South Metropolitan and South Suburban gas companies to lay mains and service
pipes to the houses and to fix the necessary piping and fittings for lighting and
cooking, including stoves, on the prepayment meter principle, free of cost to the
Council, upon the condition that this arrangement will not exclude the use of
electricity if hereafter desired on any part of the estate.
In connection with the provision of a water supply for the 2,000 houses, it
was desirable to lay the necessary mains in advance of the house building and to
enable this to be done the Council guaranteed to the Metropolitan Water Board
for a period the payment of an annual sum not exceeding 10 per cent, of the total
cost of the work. Any water rates accruing in respect of supplies taken from these
mains will go towards the reduction of the annual guaranteed payment.
The Council, on 22nd July, 1924, fixed the scale of weekly net rents for typical
houses and flats (each with scullery and bath) on the Bromley road (No. 1) section
as follows :—Two-roomed flats, 8s. 9d.; three-roomed houses, 10s. 3d.; four-roomed
(non-parlour) houses, 11s. 3d.; four-roomed (parlour houses), 12s. 3d. ; and fiveroomed
houses, 13s. 3d., these rents to be subject to slight variation on account
of position or other special amenities. The dwellings fall within the scheme of State
aid under the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924, and they will accordingly
qualify for a Government contribution of £9 each a year for 40 years. After
allowing for this contribution the maximum loss to be borne by the Council is
limited to £4 10s. a house for the same period, and rents fixed are calculated to
be sufficient to meet all expenses in excess of the two contributions. They are,
however, subject to revision when more reliable figures as to cost are available,
so that the conditions attaching to the grant of a State subsidy may be duly
observed.
A site on the estate, a little more than three acres in extent, has been appropriated
for the provision of an elementary school.
East Hill
estate.
The Council in 1923 decided to purchase the East Hill estate (8 acres), and
the purchase was completed in 1924 at a cost of £19,000. The dwellings to be
erected on the site, which will contain about 535 tenements, will afford accommodation
for over 3,200 persons, and are intended primarily for rehousing purposes
in connection with the clearance of unhealthv areas.
On 3rd June, 1924, the Council accepted the tender of George Bell & Sons,
Limited, amounting to £7,834 for the construction of the necessary roads and
sewers on the estate. On 8th October, 1924, the tender of J. E. Billings & Co.,
Limited, amounting to £6,374, for the construction of the foundations for the first five
blocks of dwellings (160 tenements) was accepted, and, in view of the progress
made, the Council on 16th December, 1924, approved an estimate of £81,479 for
the erection of the superstructures. Invitations to tender for the work were issued
before the end of the year.
The Council, on 25th November, 1924, considered the question of the arrangements
for lighting and cooking in the dwellings. For general lighting purposes
it was decided to employ electricity and to arrange with the County of London
Electric Supply Company, Limited, for the purchase of the electricity in bulk and
to distribute the current to the tenements through prepayment meters. The company
will make the necessary extension of mains and carry in the necessary services free
of cost to the Council, subject to the whole of the tenements being wired for electric