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LONDON'S ACUTE
HOUSE PROBLEM
Acceleration Of
Repairs Urged
From Our Special Representative
LONDON, October 29.
The vast nature of the task con- <*>
fronting the army of skilled work- <*>
men mustered by the Government
to carry out urgent repairs to
nearly 1,000,000 London Houses
damaged by flying bombs was re
vealed in a debate in the House
of Commons last week, when mem
gers stressed the dangerous re
sults which the housing shortage
was already producing on civilians,
and urged a speeding-up of the
£35 million remedial measures
preparatory to the onset of the
winter months.
'This is a race between vital re
pairs and disease. Tuberculosis is
already increasing in my con
stituency," said Mr. D. Robertson
(Con, Streatham). "People are
living under dreadful conditions,
and If disease wins it will be only
because we have been too long
getting on with repairs."
Sir Assheton Pownall (Con.,
Lewisham) said that in his borough
tetween. 11.000 and 12,000 bouses
were seriously damaged, and 55,000
needed repairs. There were now
2,800 families homeless in this one
London borough alone.
The Parliamentary Secretary to
the Ministry of Works (Mr. Hicks)
said that there were now altogether
123,000 men working on flying bomb
repairs. These men represented
40 per cent, of the total employed
in the building industry. The great
majority of workmen appreciated
the urgency of this work, and were
doing their best.
Material Shortage
The Minister ot Health (Mr. Wil
link) said that up to September
12, 24,000 London bouses had been
destroyed, and 1.100,000 damaged
It was impossible to finish the
repair Job before Christmas. The
total house loss In the London area
was now 109,000, and on Septem
ber 22 it was estimated that 800.000
needed repairs. Material, rather
than labor, was the lirrririne factor
in repairs, because In a few weeks
a force of nearly 140,000 workers
would be on the job.
The "Daily Mail." in a leading
article, says:—-"What the Minis
ter did not answer—and this was
the principal theme of many an
gry members—was the complaint
that however good the general
direction might be, it does not suc
ceed in getting the work done any
thing like as quickly as it ought
through the various local authori
ties."
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