BUILDING OR RECONSTRUCTION ?
(To THE EDITOR or THE " 8PECTATOR."]
Six,—The subject of cottage-building is one that engages the attention of most people on public bodies just now. I am much interested in Mr. Morgan's letter, which expresses a point of view I have been endeavouring to bring before the Board of Guardians in my neighbourhood. I have talked freely to the people in my village about the question. It is a small village of about seven hundred people, purely agedenitural. Lately wo have been informed by the Housing Committee that four mew houses must be built here, for which land must be bought in order to supply gardens, and wells must be sunk. Now, on discussing this with the people themselves, they say that new cottages are not required. There are quite enough to supply the demand if some of the old ones were made decent; but some are in a positively disgraceful condition. The roofs are full of holes, the windows will not open, the houses have only two rooms, and the outside accommodations are perfectly in- sanitary and unspeakably wretched. Yet, in spite of all this, a hundred pounds or so would entirely renovate these, and as the gardens and wells are amply sufficient, there would be an enormous saving of public funds if these could be used. Now, is there any law by which the owners can be forced to make these alterations? If there is no law, could not the Govern- ment buy them up at a fair remuneration, and turn them into suitable dwelling-houses? The reckless way in which the question ie being handled makes me hope these euggestione, coming as they do from the village people themselves, may be given the attention they deserve.—I am, Sir, dec., A tierzesudt.
Previous page
