Slum Clearance Successes Public departments do not often come in
for praise, but it would be churlish to withhold the warmest con- gratulations from the Ministry of Health for the energy it has infused into the slum clearance campaign. Plans arc already in hand for the demolition of 266,851 houses and for the building of 285, 189 houses in replacement, for the use of 1,240,182 persons. The replacement pro- gramme will shortly rise to about 300,000 when remaining schemes under consideration have been finally considered. How big a step forward this is may be judged from the fact that in the whole period from 1875 to 1930 only 178,000 persons from slum areas were re-housed, and only 70,000 from 1919 to 1930. It would be a great mistake to suppose that the splendid progress which is now being Made is entirely the result of legislation. When the Labour Government passed the 1930 measure upon which action is now being taken the result was the submission by 145 local authorities for clearing 76,524 houses. The programmes now put forward by the same authorities are for the clearance of 172,261 houses. The difference is the difference in administrative driving power under the late Government and the present Government. The turning- point was the issue of the. Minister of Health's circular last April, which was backed up by a powerful combination of public opinion and energetic Ministerial pressure.
Previous page
