CROWDED LONDON.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16558, 25 June 1919, Page 8

CROWDED LONDON.

THE HOUSING DIFFICULTY

Tlie London season is approaching, and London is becoming very crowded (writes the correspondent of the Meloourne "Argus," under date of April i7th). The shortage of houses and hotels is causing widespread inconvenience and m-uch anxiety. Every hotel, large and small, is full, and the fact ! the Government still occupy eight ■ or nine of our largest hotels aggravates j the inconvenience. Dozens of people | who reach London by tlie late night | trains are glad to obtain permission to j sleep in the station waiting-rooms till drylight enables them to search for more comfortable quarters. Members of clubs'arriving at night can usually get a "shake down'' in a sraokeroom or a library. The National Liberal r'nh has manv bedrooms, and the members include mon in the provinces who occasionally come to London on business. I heard of a case tlie other day where a Yorkshireman went to that club near midnight. He had wired for a room, but all were occupied. Ho insisted upon being "put up" somewnere, and was permitted to sleep in the smokeroom. When he awoke next morning he found nine other members sleeping in the 6ame apartment; some in chairs and some on sofas. At 6 o'clock the place was invaded by housemaids, and the weary travellers had to go elsewhere. The shortage of servants has led hundreds of families to remove into residential hotels and lodging-houses. Still, tlie demand for houses and flats is very much larger tnan the supply. Residential house property has increased by 20 per cent., and local rates, which in this country are borne by the tenants, are also rapidlv increasing. Here are some illustrations of the housing difficulty, which I take from a London paper. A small furnished house in a street off Piccadilly, wuxch let for six guineas a week over two years ago now realises £30. Some Bayswater flats,, two small dofir-iiennel bedrooms and a bathroom, without a kitchen, are let for four guineas a week. Their old rental, unfurnisned, used to be £6d[ a year. Very ordinary single bedrooms in Mayfair which used to be half a guinea a day, are now a guinea and a half. These large increases are not limited to tho 'West End. Everywhere it is the same story of too few houses. The great scheme of uouse building which is being promoted by the Government in partnership with the local authority, deals only with accommodation for the working-classes. Anything in the snape of middle-class house property finds ready buyers at more than 20 per cent, above pre-war prices. The other day I saw an £80 house to let. There were four motor-cars at the door, whose occupants were showing keen rivalry to secure the tenancy. It is useless attempting to find 'better accommodation or cheaper houses in the Buburos, for the reason there are not any. Moreover, the train services are already below the public necessities. First-class, as well as third-class, carriages are few and full to overflowing, it is no uncommon experience to have jiftoen or sixteen persons in a compartment irtstead of five. s The unabjished shop girls and typists overflow everywhere. The railway companies are boing urged, in and out of Parliament, to give better travelling facilities, especially during the Easter holidays, but this is impossible. Hundreds of engines were sent to France during tho war; nearlv aTI of them remain there, worn out. There has been no railway carriajro building for four years, and all rolling-stock is very shabby and dirty, with a great shortage. Under the most favourable circumstances it will bo three or four years before the railways can return to their normal condition. And in view of the additional fiftv millions which they will have to provide for the increased payment of their servants, to have no hope of any remission of the 50 por cent, incroase of ticket charges which was imposed during tho war,