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194
Building
contracts—
Employment
of apprentices.
Housing
handbook
and hand
map.
Grants to
metropolitan
borough
councils.
works of maintenance and repair at the Council's dwellings and estates, while the
local management staff, including superintendents, 8 caretakers (whole time) estate
clerks, porters, etc., numbered about 160, and women workers, i.e. laundresses,
bedmakers, etc., about 50.
With a view to the augmentation of the supply of skilled labour available in
the building industry, it has been the practice for some years to include in the Council's
house-building contracts a clause requiring the employment of a certain proportion
of apprentices in the carrying out of such works. The clause was inserted after
consultation between representatives of the building trades and of the Ministry of
Health, and the Minister of Health made it a requirement for his approval of works
for purposes of State grant. Having regard, however, to the changed condition
of the building industry, it was decided in June, 1928, at the suggestion of the Local
Building Industry Committee and with the approval of the Minister of Health, that
for the present the requirement as to the employment of apprentices should be discontinued.
The clause has therefore been omitted from house-building contracts
entered into by the Council since October, 1928.
Early in 1928 the Council published, at the price of 2s. 6d. a copy, a handbook
containing an account of its housing activities up to the end of 1927, with particular
reference to post-war housing schemes, together with a folder map of Greater London
with the Council's housing estates marked thereon. The map, with some brief
particulars of the various estates of the Council printed on the back, has also been
issued separately.
During the year the Council agreed to make supplemental contributions from
the County rate under section 1(6) of the Housing, etc., Act, 1923, or section 2(5) of
the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924, towards the undermentioned schemes
of metropolitan borough councils, the grants being of the amounts stated in brackets.
The contributions under the Act of 1923 are for a period of 20 years in each case,
and those under the Act of 1924 for a period of 40 years in each case:—
Housing, etc., Act, 1923.—Greenwich Metropolitan Borough Council.—300
houses on Charlton-park estate and 12 maisonettes in Coombedale-road (£3 a dwelling
a year); 76 additional houses on Charlton-park estate (£2 a house a year).
Kensington Royal Borough Council.—117 tenements on St. Quintin-park
estate (£1 10s. a tenement a year) and 14 tenements in Thresher's-place (£2 a tenement
a year).
Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough Council.—24 tenements on Southfields
estate (£2 a tenement a year) and 6 tenements on Furzedown estate (£3 a tenement
a year).
Woolwich Metropolitan Borough Council.—60 houses on Eltham estate (£3 a
house a year).
Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924.—Bethnal Green Metropolitan Borough
Council.—32 tenements in Parmiter-street (£2 5s. a tenement a year).
Islington Metropolitan Borough Council.—102 tenements in Tyndale-place
(£2 5s. a tenement a year).
Finsbury Metropolitan Borough Council.—15 tenements at Southamptonstreet
(£2 5s. a tenement a year); 12 tenements at Mantell-street (£2 5s. a tenement
a year); 29 further tenements at Mantell-street (£1 17s. 6d. a tenement a year).
Poplar Metropolitan Borough Council.—80 tenements in River-street and
Naval-row (£1 a tenement a year).
St. Marylebone Metropolitan Borough Council.—18 tenements in Fishertonstreet
(£1 a tenement a year).
Woolwich Metropolitan Borough Council.—32 additional houses on Eltham
estate (£1 a tenement a year), making a total of 1,248 houses in respect of
which the Council has agreed to make a supplemental contribution under the
Act of 1924.