SLUM CLEARANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 126, 24 November 1933, Page 8

SLUM CLEARANCE

CAMPAIGN IN BRITAIN

MAGNITUDE OF RESPONSE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, October 13.

At the Conservative Party Conference at Birmingham, Sir Hilton Young, Minister of Health, described the progress of the slum clearance campaign. The goal which has been aimed at is the clearance in five years of 200,000 houses and the rehousing of a million people. The first step .in the Government campaign had been ,the request to local authorities to furnish their programmes for dealing with the slums in five years, both by clearance and by reconditioning. "The result," said the Minister, "is a good one, asa whole; it is a result ■worthy of our local authorities, and >ye see in it promise of the successful achievement of the campaign.

"At present I have received returns covering three-fifths of the population of the country. Estimating the total programme from those received, the total programme should be for the clearance of about 210,000 houses and lehousing about 1,050,000 people in five

years. "That is a very big effort. During the last ten years only 20,000 alum houses have been cleared. This effort multiplies that by 20. "How big is the effort can best be understood if you consider its coat: It represents a total capital outlay in the five years of £95,000,000— £19,000,000 per annum on an. average. To meet that, for forty yearsjthe taxpayer must bear an accumulating charge of £5150,000 per annum, rising, that is; to £2,750,000 per 'annum, at the end of the five years; and correspondingly the ratepayer must bear a charge of £165,000, rising to £825,000 per annum.

"The.burden is undoubtedly great. It as not greater than is required by the greatness of the evil with which we are dealing. It must not minimise the effort that is needed.

"Let mo turn to another favourable aspect of the effort. It is estimated that the clearance of 210,000 houses in five years would give direct employment to some 50,000 men in the building 'trade and indirect employment to another' 30,000 in related trades, making 80,000-in, all. So against the big bill for slum clearance we may set down a very substantial economy in expenditure on unemployment. "The Government is determined to sec the matter through, and now that it is assured that tho bulk of tho local authorities will take tho matter up with the energy and vision which wo expected of them, there is loss excuse for a laggard or defaulter. ."But whilst we shall deal with the small minority of laggards, let us praise, too, the majority of the local authorities, who are setting about the business in the right spirit, making their plans with vision and knowledge, and getting to work upon them with promptitude and energy."