The appalling state of Scottish housing is scarcely realised south
of the Border. In England about 3.8 of the in- habitants are now living in overcrowded conditions. In Scotland the percentage is six times_ as great. There are five Scottish towns with figures of over 4o per cent., eight between 3o and 40, and another fifty-four with 25 per cent. or over. Mr. Tom Johnston and other speakers seized the opportunity to remind the House of these facts when the Under-Secretary for Scotland brought forward a draft order to continue the present housing subsidies. The debate largely turned upon the increased cost of housing materials. It is certainly peculiar that since 1935 the wholesale prices of building materials have advanced by 25 per cent. in Scotland, as compared with only 7 per cent. in England. Mr. Wedderburn was inclined to look for the cause in the overloading of the building industry in Scotland, which has recently been given far more work than it is capable of carrying out. The discussion took a different turn with the speech of Mr. Gibson, who showed himself remarkably well-informed on the subject of wooden houses. A few local authorities have recently started to experiment with houses of western red cedar, which can be quickly con- structed—and are guaranteed bug-proof.
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