Miss Cochrane is well known as a hard worker in
a cause that badly needs a hundred like her. She describes in her letter the miserable conditions of rural life that prevail in all villages which are not exceptionally fortunate in their landlord. No one doubts the existence or the extent of the evil. It is not easy, however, to find a remedy. Restrictive bye-laws do harm. There is no doubt of that. But their removal would not result in much improvement.
I can quote a district near Salisbury where the District Council, after careful consideration, have declined to enact bye- laws, because they believe that their introduction will check building. Yet in villages in this district you will find the houses tumbling down, and the population forced to leave, or huddled together in overcrowded and insanitary rooms.
I do not defend bye-laws. Reform of them is badly needed, but their removal will not raise a crop of cottages. We must recognise that the chief difficulties are these :—(1) That it is difficult to build these cottages cheaply enough to secure a reasonable return. (2) That even if a sufficient return can be secured, a very large number of landlords are too sleepy and too wanting in energy to build cottages.
As regards the first difficulty, we have to settle what is a sufficient return. I do not think that it would be good business to look for less than 6 per cent. on cottages let by the week. Experience in building cottages, both in town and country, shows that there is no difficulty in securing this return, while in the country it would usually be impossible. In any case, of course, the accommodation must be small. You must aim at no more than providing the homeless with something they can afford. I do not think you can do this in country villages and make 6 per cent.; but I feel sure that it is possible to build four-roomed houses in blocks for very little over £100 apiece, and to make a net 4 or 4t per cent. on the outlay. If any one doubts this, I will show him several districts where this is done.
The second difficulty is far greater. Given the will to build cottages, can you get the land at a reasonable price and in a satisfactory position ? Land is worth perhaps £20 an acre in large quantities, perhaps £50 an acre in small lots. Can you get a quarter of an acre or half an acre for £20 or £25 ? The answer is, not once in twenty villages. What is the remedy, then ? It is useless to give powers of building to local authorities. They decline to use the powers they have got. We can only turn to the central authority.
The Board of Agriculture should take power to buy land in any position when houses are needed, and shoUld build cottages costing not more than £120 apiece, and should let them at a rent which will make the investment a satisfactory one. If any one answers that the cottages will not be good enough, I will quote that high authority, Mr. Wilson Fox, in a Blue-book crowded with evidence of shameful housing, to the effect that cottages in the country are all too bad or too good. We need not deny that it is desirable that more cottages should have three bedrooms, but we may be quite certain that there is no prospect whatever that this number will be attained.
am, Sir, &e., A. H. CLOUGH.
Caetletop, Burley, Ringwood.
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