FALSE ECONOMY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18241, 27 November 1924, Page 4

FALSE ECONOMY.

EXPENDITURE WHEN . BUILDING.

The building of homes for people of moderato means, small means, and even for thoso "without means at all. is noc esactly a, thrilling proposition to a person possessing but tho most elementary of commercial instincts, says a writer in a London Trade paper.

The necessity of providing homes For such unprofitable people, who, unfortunately, constitute a very large percentage "of mankind., has existed nearly as long as the world itself, but for the past few years it has, for various wellrecognised reasons, been presented in an acute form under the title of the '"housing problem.' 1 The financial difficulties that would appear to be inseparable housm? question —which ditncultics onlv the speculative builder, restrained by "the absolute minimum ot' legislative control, has in the past been able to overcome —naturally lead to a state of affaire in v.'hich rigid economy is inevitably the chief consideration in all housing schemes, whether promoted by public or pivate enterprise. Herein lies the root cause of most of the defects so obvious in modern small houses. It is a weli-recogmsed fact in. all classes of human activities that in the ■vigorous pursuit of economy there is always the tremendous danger of the sacrice of efficiency. In other words, false economy is mistaken for true economv.

The serious defects arising from an overdose of economy are far too prevalent, in large numbers of the new houses that have been built during recent years, and are still being erected all over the country. Ihese defects arc Wv no means confined to construction: in fact, those arising from design are in many cases of greater consequence from hygienic points of view. The small amount of actual living accommodation that it is to-day considered necessary to provide in the designing of -working-class dwellings affords a striking example of excessive economy.

One occasionally reads or hears the opinions of eminent men and women of a certain school of thought bemoaning the fact of a rapidly falling birth-rate. The promoters of present-day housing schemes apparently have decided in favour of minimum, families, which means that ultimately the housing problem may he expected to solve itself. In many houses, especially of the nonparlour typo, the accommodation is absurdly restricted and frequently illarranged. Sculleries or combined kitchen-scul-leries, where ranch of the domestic work has to be performed, are hopelessly small, and with sometimes as many as five doors opening into them, so that there is practicallv no blank wall space available for furniture or fittings. Chairs in these rooms _ ar& ne\t to impossible unless occupying valuable working floor space. The second bedroom in many of these houses is reduced to the absolute minimum in dimensions, whilst third bedroom is seldom more spacious than a small cubicle. 3lodcrn architects have certainly inade a fine art of the planning of small houses, as regards economy of space, and many (very ingenious types of plans are continually being produced which assign every available square inch of floor space to some essential purpose. Satisfactory on Paper. Such clever arrangements arc very 'satisfactory on paper, and may even ; prove attractive upon the casual inspection of an empty house in which they are embodied. When, however, snch houses are in occupation it is very often found that there is not available any accommodation whatever for the storage of household lumber—not altogether useless —which unavoidably accumulates in every normal home, nor for numerous cvery-day-life accessories, .-;uch as travelling trunks, cases .children's toys, school and games equipment, various appliances connected with the work of the house, not as mention such items as perambulators and bicycles, etc.

"With regard to false economy in constructional methods employed and qualities of materials used, it is obviously impossible to go into detail in the course of a short paper. AH practical men are, however, fully aware of the fact that the standard of constructional efficiency attained in the erection of modern houses is extremely low, so low. in fact, that the cost of repairs and maintenance nc-cessary to keep the dwellings fit for human habitation -will, in the course of a few years, be a heavy financial burden upon those responsible: for their upkeep. In countless instances it is a case of a rendering of plaster or a coat of inferior paint covering a multitude of structural sins. There is. evidence that in more than one district the cost of repairs to houses erected under modern bousing schemes i 3 already causiDg considerable alarm. A particular branch of house construction which it is particularly desirable to protect against a too vigorous application of the economy aze, is that providing for sanitation. A well-designed and executed system of drainage, good and sound quality sanitary iittings, together with first-class plumbing, are all matters involving considerable financial outlav, without giving much in the way of external show, and iii connexion with which defects may not bear evil fruits immediately. There is thus strong indiiccmonfc to cut costs upon these vital items. More Experiment Needed.

It is suggested that considerably more attention and experimental work; both as regards design, and construction, might with advantage bo devoted to the question of window openings, in order if possible to giro greater effect to the expert convictions of prominent medical men as to the wonderful health giving powers of sunlight and fresh air H seems possible, even in the variable British climate, that more use might be made of windows constructed prind le S ° r SHding l ,artitiou «~B e c l l ;, iti I cisms and Proposals put forward will doubtless be met bv the usual argument that any appreciable raising o. the standard of quality in the building of working-class dwellings is prefieuHil ' V tHe P rcTaiHn S fi dil nrS * na " cia J "Pecfc of the housing piohlera undoubtedly is. and willalwavs remain.- the greatest deterrent to the attainment of the ideal. It cannot

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however, be too strongly urged that it is a short-sighted and financially unsound policy to erect houses that arc bo badlv constructed that their maintenance will be a source of continual and heaw expense, whilst from psychological and hygienic standpoints the rapid multiplication of houses that provide for just bare necessities of accommodation and afford tho individuals occupying them little, if any, opportunity or enjoying real home comfort and convenience is to be vvhole-heartedn condemned. . Such a policy is really perpetuating in a modified form two of tho main elements of slums —namely, dilapidated houses and overcrowded homes.