Second report of Her Majesty's Commissioners for inquiring into the housing of the working classses : Scotland.
- Great Britain. Royal Commission on Housing of the Working Classes
- Date:
- 1885
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Second report of Her Majesty's Commissioners for inquiring into the housing of the working classses : Scotland. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.
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![Mr. backwards and forwards to and from their work ?— J. W. Drury. Quite so. 22.521. Even iu the township itself you have some ~ ^ houses which are crowded, houses of the tenement house type?—Yes, we Juivo; but tliey are not nearly so much crowded as they are iu the city. 22.522. You consider that there are 7,000 of your people who live iu rather overcrowded dwellings or have to seek accommodation away from you ?—Not quite that. I make out that there are about 3,400 who do live at present in the township, and who are insufficiently accommodated. 22.523. And others who have to seek accommoda- tion elsewhere —I consider that there are not enough residing in the township in proportion to the better class. 22.524. Y'ou think you ought to be able to house a working population of 7,000 ?—Yes. 22.525. And therefore your town commissioners felt that the duty was clearly cast upon them to see that sufficient accommodation for 7,000 was provided ? —Yes. 22.526. Were you going to build houses yourselves for the accommodation of the working classes ?—Yes, we took powers to build ourselves, and Ave also took the alternative power to lease, in case it was thought advisable; but the intention was to build. 22.527. Sir Richard Cross' Acts scarcely apply in your case, do they ; there is no unhealthy area ?—No, there is no unhealthy area. Moreover, until 1883 our population precluded us from the provision of Sir Eichard Cross' Acts, which require that there should be a population of 25,000; we are just under that, as our population at tlie last census was 24,500. 22.528. It is over 2G,000 now, is it not ?—I think so. 22.529. Such unhealthy houses as you have, and which are scattered about and not concentrated in an unhealthy area, are some of them old stables or parts of stables, and old agricultural cottage dwellings tliat have been in existence for many years, but have come now to be a part of the town and are not used for those purposes ?—Yes. 22.530. They are in fact old houses ?—Y''es. 22.531. As a matter of fact you have not tried Torrens' Acts, because no place iu Ireland has tried thorn ?—That is so. We have endeavoured to deal principally with those houses by means of the Public Health Act. 22.532. But have you never considered the appli- cability of Torrens' Acts ?—No. 22.533. The Artizans' Dwellings Company of Dul)lin have just finished a block of houses on the borders of your township, have they not?—Y''es, just on our borders. They are more convenient for the city artizans almost than for tho?e of our township; the site is on the limits of the township. 22.534. I believe the rents are rather high ?—Tlie lowest rents are 4s., and I think that is rather higli for a labourer who only earns at the average rate from l is. to 16s. a week. 22.535. {Mr. Lyiilph Stanley.) Have you got a copy of your petition to Parliament Avith you ?—No, I have not. 22.536. ( The Chairman^ Your own commissioners intended to let your artizans' dwellings when they were erected at such a rate as to only just pay interest on the outlay ; they did not contemplate making a profit ?—No. 22.537. Do 3'ou think you would ha\ e been able to let rooms cheaper than the Artizans' Dwellings Com- pany ?—Yes ; about 3s. a room. The rate of wages in the township is from 14s. to 16s. for labourers, and it is a very large rent to pay 4s. out of that, 22.538. {Mr. Lijnlph Stanley.) What Avas the acreage that you proposed to take under your scheme foi- the purpose of putting up dAvellings for the Avork- ing classes ?—Three acres. 22,530. IIoAV many poo])lc did you intend to house upon that area ?—About 700. 22.540. Would that have been sufficient to case the pressure that there is at present in that respect ?— No; it Avas a tentative measure. If it had succeeded Ave should have gone on and taken other portions. 22.541. Wliat Avas the financial estimate of the total outlay of your plan for purcliase and for build- ing ; can you tell me Avithin 1,000/. or 2,000/. ?—Tlie architect gave evidence as to that in the House of Lords; I have the minutes of proceedings next door, and can send for them. 22.542. Can you not giA^e me Avithiu 1,000/. or 2,000/. what Avas the estimate for expenditure ?—I think about 15,000/. for building only. We did not really estimate the interest in the fee because it Avas so remote tliat it Avas A'ery difficult to estimate ; avc hold it for so long a period. 22.543. You only had to buy the reversion ?— ^ es ; there Avere no intermediary interests to purchase. 22.544. What is the acreage of Rathminos ?— 1,714 acres. 22.545. Would any part of Rathmines be suitable for putting up artizans' dAvellings ?—Yes, there are a number of places Avhich Avould be suitable. 22.546. Practically, so far as the employment of the people goes, it Avould not matter in Avhat part you put them up ?—We endeavour to get as close to the centre of the toAvnship as possible. 22.547. Is it the fact that you are unable by agree- ment to get any landowner to deal Avith you, or is it only that youAvant to deal Avith this landowner because it Avould practically cose you nothing?—Wc thought ours was a cheap scheme in that Avay; there are other portions suitable for the purpose, but they are either in immediate proximity to valuable building ground or too fixr away. 22.548. Does Rathmines belong to one or two landoAvners ?—The OAvnership is very much scattered. 22.549. Do you think you Avould have been unable by agreement to have bought 3 acres in a suitable place ?—We know of none in close proximity to the centre of the tOAvn Avhich we could so acquire. 22.550. Did you think it A\'as essential that you should be within a quarter of a mile of this spot Avliich you selected ?—We endeavoured to get close by il. 22.551. Was it suggested by the opposition that there were other places Avhere you might have bought land by agreement Avhich Avould have been equally useful ?—They suggested one portion of land that belonged to a Mr. Bolton, one of the commissioners ; but the same objection Avould apply to that as to the artizans' dwellings close beside it, namely, that it is a plot of ground immediately on the city boun- daries, and naturally more useful to the city people than ourselves ; also Mi-. Bolton being a commissioner it Avas not advisable to purcliase from him. 22.552. At any rate, your commissioners avoic anxious to try this exjierimeut, in order to improve the condition of the Avorking classes, and Avere Avilling to run a certain risk by the expenditure of some 16,000/. or 17,000/. ?—Yes. 22.553. And you have lost now the benefit of your parliamentary powers ?—Yes, that Avas the only part that was opposed, and it cost, of course, a good deal of money. 22.554. Do you think that your commissioners arc discouraged, or that they Avill try again to house tlie Avorking classes ?—T haA'e not heard any A^ery strong opinion upon the subject, but I think they arc very much discouraged about it. 22.555. Has there been much discussion amongst your commissioners as to the tAVO alternatives, citiicr of housing the people tliemselves or acquiring liiud and letting it out to a company ?—There has bc^n a great deal of discussion Avith regard to that ; a number of the board Avere simply for letting it to a company, and providing that they should put up a i)roper class of house and charge a reasonable rent for it. 22.556. Arc your commissioners fairly representa- tive of the property of Rathmines as avcII as of the population ?—Y'es.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24398329_0064.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
