View report page

145
respect," as I observed in my Report for 1888, when treating of
similar schemes, "the owners will be better off than the owners of
houses dealt with under Torrens's Acts" (now re-enacted in Part
2 of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890), "for these
may be required to demolish insanitary dwellings without compensation,"
a course for which justification might be found in the
condition of the houses proposed to be dealt with under the
present scheme. In the course of the debate in the Council on
the Committee's report, many members urged that the powers of
Part 2 should be brought to bear to secure, at the cost of the
owners, the improvement of houses capable of being made decently
habitable and healthy—though this course would involve the
retention of narrow streets—whilst other houses not capable of
restoration should be closed under a "closing order" and
demolished. I by no means say that this would be a satisfactory
course; but having regard to the tremendous cost of schemes
under Part 1; to the fact that there must be scores of similar
"unhealthy areas" in the Metropolis; and to the certainty that
Medical Officers of Health will make "official representations"
with regard to such places; ratepayers may well stand aghast at
the prospective increase to their present burdens. They will,
however, be likely to take the matter into their own hands, at the
proper time, and it is more than probable that the Council itself
will, ere long, like the Metropolitan Board, see the necessity for
holding its hands. Meanwhile, "first come, first served," and
those districts which are the earliest in the field will get their
"unhealthy areas" cleared, largely at the cost of those districts
which have none such; with benefit to the locality, and doubtless
to the Metropolis generally. It is a melancholy reflection that,
had not the Coal Dues been thrown away, schemes such as this,
might have been carried out on a large scale, year by year, with
far less objection than they are now likely to excite, in view of
the greatly increased taxation rendered necessary by the abolition
of that magnificent revenue, which has apparently brought gain to
none save colliery owners and coal merchants, who are very
sensible of the benefits so unintentionally conferred upon them.