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58
THE HOUSING AND TOWN*PLANNING COMMITTEE.
Amalgamation.— The fusion of the Public Health Committee with the
Housing Committee from April, 1920, proved a huge mistake. I had earnestly
advocated this in the early years, when the business connected with new houses
and town-planning was comparatively insignificant. Now, when this had
become enormous owing to the Council fostering a Housing estate of their own,
was decidedly the wrong time. My experience has been that this change has
led to very late meetings—or adjournments again and again with business
unfinished—chaos, confusion and despair! No one, not even the Labour party,
can compress a quart into a pint pot.
Besides, this Committee was thereby placed under the dual direction of
myself and the Engineer. One officer c,in combine in himself the control of
two or more sections of work, but two captains only put the one ship on the
rocks !
OUR HOUSING SCHEME.
The question of housing has been further considered during the year, and
the Council have approved a lay-out plan showing some 1700 to 1800 houses,
with new roads and sewers on a site extending from Victoria Road to Firs
Lane, on the eastern edge of Southgate. Levels have been taken all over the
estate, and plans prepared of roads and sewers. The approval of the Ministry
of Health has been obtained to proceed with the erection of 126 houses of "A"
type, containing three bedrooms, parlour, living room, scullery and bathroom,
and 70 of "B4" type, which contain four bedrooms, parlour, living room,
scullery and bathroom. The contract for the erection of these has been placed
with Messrs. Baldry, Yerburgh and Hutchinson, of Westminster, and the work
has been commenced in Church Street adjoining the Recreation Ground. A
depot has been formed in Victoria Road on the site of the allotments north of
Park Road, adjoining the railway. A siding has been put in from the G.E.Rly.
line to Enfield on a specially formed embankment; an office and store huts
erected. Steam plant has been installed for hauling and lifting stores,
excavating ballast, etc.
At the end of 1918 the Local Government Board asked for the opinion of
every Local Authority as to the number of houses necessary for the working
classes in every district. I think the number was in many cases exaggerated,
because allowance was not made for the number of prospective householders
who had been killed in the war, and for the large diminishing of the birthrate
during war years. As to the desirability of Edmonton developing a housing