NO SQUATTERS ?

Grey River Argus, 26 August 1946, Page 8

NO SQUATTERS ?

' Housing Problem HOW FRANCE IS FACING In France, as elsewhere, the immediate problem facing the Ministry of Reconstruction is housing. It is not generally realised that one house in every six was destroyed during the recent war. But France is facing ,the situation courageously, her experts appreciating the fact that a unique opportunity has offered itself for planning on a national scale. Accommodation is being found for the homeless and displaced people in army " barracks. The Ministry’s priorities are: (1) factories, (2) schools and hospitals, (3) permanent homes, (4) amusement houses and vacation homes. Very little of France was left untouched by the war. Wnole sections were completely destroyed, and Caen, Rouen, Amiens and the surrounding villages, were in ruins. Vercors and Alsace were ravaged. After the battles of liberation the Norman countryside was a mass of mined fields, shattered roads, and ruined hamlets. But it is believed that the catastrophe can be turned to good and the flattened expanse transformed by new and vigorous planning. The general economy of the country, the grouping of urban centres of population, living conditions, housing and farm buildings, must all be carefully examined so that reconstruction can follow a rational plan. It is obvious that reconstruction, pure and simple, of all ruined buildings and towns is impossible; in some cases it is understandable. Their > whole set-out, architectural heritage and functions are not modern.

The concentrations of population, the empty spaces, the type of building materials available in France, reflect various economic, strategic and political situations which have now passed. The master plan for all-over reconstruction must take that into account. The problem is linked with the more general one of French economy. Before rebuilding Rouen bridges, for example, it must be known whether Paris is likely to become a port. If so, then the bridges will be built much higher than the present ones. The problem of reconstruction is also an immediate one. Homes must be found for displaced persons. The present must be assured while the future is being prepared for. Long before the 1914-18 war France was interested in town-planning. From the beginning of the Third Republic laws were passed providing for the construction of houses to be leased at low rentals, also for the improvement of sanitary conditions’ and slum clearance. In 1894 the Siegfried law granted State financial aid to societies building workers’ dwellings. In 1912 Parliament' passed a law authorising the creation of public offices for the provision of houses at a reasonable rental. The war of 1914-18 made the housing situation more acute in two ways— many buildings were destroyed and there was a transfer of population from the country to the towns. The problem of slum clearance was constantly postponed by the more urgent necessities of actually housing the growing population in the cities. A national construction plan was proposed in 1928, which, among, other things provided for tax exemption and financial aid for large families and disabled servicemen. Repairs from the 191418 war were just being completed at the outbreak of the second World War. The latter succeeded in destroying even more buildings. Now the problem of housing has been recognised as a national one, and not merely a social one, by the creation of a Ministry of Reconstruction. After the last war the Paris City Council instituted an investigation into dwellings which were unfit for habitation. Those dwellings numbered 4,750, and were lived in by 185,000 people. The latter were concentrated in 17 main blocks, either in old districts or in the workers 1 ’ areas such as Belleville or Clignancourt. From 1932 onwards systematic clearance of those areas proceeded. The work was opposed both by private interests and by people who disliked to see the disappearance of picturesque corners of* old Paris. However such financial and sentimental considerations had no weight when it was a question of saving hundreds of human lives, and preventing the spread of contagious diseases. In addition, the Paris architectural and town-planning societies were consulted, and worked in co-operation with the health authorities. In certain blocks many buildings of great historical interest were surrounded by unhealthy hovels. Every effort was made to retain old mansions, or at least their facades, if hygienic reasons necessitated the demolition of the interiors. The vastness of the task was shown by the fact that in Paris 1 alone 600 acres had to be cleared, and nearly 200,000 people accommodated. It was a task comparable with the creation of a new city.

However, the problem cannot be solved alone by architects and specialists, though it is their job to prepare the plans and co-ordinate the work. But the immediate task, the clearing of ruins and rebuilding, must be undertaken by the country itself. The General Confederation of Labour has shown it is aware of this by offering the Government its co-operation in a plan for increased professional training for the building trades, also for the education' of instructors in specialised work. It has also established building co-operatives which are run by the workers. Seventeen of the latter are functioning in the district .of Nantes alone, and are engaged in all the processes of masonry, plumbing, heating, cabinet-making, carpentry and roofing. Temporary living quarters have been established for those engaged in the work. As for furniture, the reconstruction services have turned out a set for a complete whole house in dark ask, comprising a dining-room suite with armchairs, a double bed, two children’s beds set into , the walls like bunks, together with the accessories like mattresses and kapok cushions. The whole costs approximately £125. Young people are also giving every help. The Civic Youth Service has done a great deal, especially in providing gangs to clear ruins. There are, however, many difficulties which curb enthusiasm, as there is a constant battle against the shortage of materials and the coal necessary for | cement-making, as well as r or cash credits.