tations referred to being those of the Edinburgh Act—restricting the right to rebuild within a definite outlay. It might be useful, as at Glasgow, to build some satisfactory common lodging-houses as models, and there can be little doubt that they would pay, as those at Glasgow give a return of ten per cent.
My proposal then is not to rebuild London out of the rates, but only to enable private enterprise to have scope for action; namely, to acquire at fair prices ground now inaccessible because of the protection given by law to powerless, indifferent, or unscrupulous owners or leaseholders. (Hear.)
These compulsory powers are necessarily conferred both upon Railway Companies, and, in order to carry out street improvements, upon the Metropolitan Board of Works. Not a Session passes without powers being given to Railway Companies and various public bodies for this class of improvements; and I shall be glad if any hon, member will tell me why these powers should not be given for a matter of much greater national concern even than the construction of railway's and the opening of more convenient thoroughfares, namely, for an object deeply affecting the welfare of the working classes. (Hear, hear.)
It will be necessary to meet the case of improveable buildings—of those dwellings which are not so bad as to require to be taken down, but which are packed so closely together as to be unwholesome. Much has been done towards improving this class of buildings, although there is often, I fear, a good deal of waste of money in improving dwellings which it would be better to take down altogether and rebuild. Many of these cannot be improved, and are not worth the large sums which have been expended on them. If you attempt to improve unimproveable dwellings,—in the first place the result is not satisfactory as far as the dwelling is concerned, and in the next place it does not pay. The Association inaugurated in 1844 by Lord Shaftesbury, to his great honour—the 'Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes'—has done an excellent work, of which I desire to speak with great respect.[1] Another society, the London Labourers' Dwellings Society, of which a constituent of my own, Dr. Greenhill, is the indefatigable and excellent secretary, has done much to improve the dwellings of the working classes in London; whilst a sister Society of
- ↑ Mr. Charles Payne, the Secretary of this Society, showed me several of the buildings acquired and improved by them, thus kindly giving me much instruction.
