The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-27 00:00:00

DWELLINGS FOB TER POOR.

Yesterday delegates from various boards of
guardians within the metropolitan district, met at the
affirms of the &rand Union in Bow-street Covent-garden, to
"adder what steps they should take with reference to this
arrest public question. The chair wan taken by Mr.
Wilkinson, who briefly introduced the matter, and then
called on Mr. Storr to explain more fully. Mr. Store re-
marked that the oonamittee appointed by the Strand Union
board felt no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that
the existing house and lodging accommodation for the
'labouring and poorer chase. within their district is made-
quite, that great overcrowding prevails, that disease and
immorality are thereby fostered, that rents are high, and
that it is impossible to tell where the 3,082 poor persons,
whose houses would be removed to make room for the
new law courts, will be driven to when the
time arrives for them to seek other abodes. He said it
would be a good thing in itself to remove:this property,
which was old and in bad repair, and in which constantly
there were outbreaks of fever, but that is only half the
question. The other half, hitherto unanswered, notwith-
staudiog the evidence given before the select committee
which sat upon the bill (portions of which be read to the
meeting) is, where are these people to go to? It seems to
. be no one's badness to determine this ; bat es guardians of
the poor it is surely our duty to point out to our president
the necessity of this matter receiving the most anxious
consideration of the government. Mr. Store reed several
extracts from • pamphlet lately published by Dr. Conway
Evans, the district medical officer of health, entitled
" Overcrowding end Typhus," which concludes thus :
" The entire subject deman.ls thorough examination and
free discussion, for it is by these means alone
that a more enlightened state of public opinion
will gradually lead to beneficial legislative enact-
ments, and the great oontemplated changes in the thorough-
fares and buildings of the metropolis will rally acquire
for themselves the character of improvements in the fullest
sense of the torm, and will case to be, what they now are
threatening to become, sources of ill-health and death
among the poorer classes of the community." The evidence
of one of our relieving offioen was to the effect that a large
mass of families of artizens and others in his district were
crowded into single rooms, 10 feet by 8 feet, and but 8 feet
high, for which they pay 2s. M. per week; that whole houses,
courts, and alleys, were filled with this elms of property,
which was mostly in the hand, of middle-men, who seldom
allow the rent to run for a second week, and never did any
creFeierlsboyr the to
c sanitaryf
tranlie: arrangements,
r-
therstated that many of the poor about to be removed
were employed in the neighbourhood, and would be obliged to
seek other occupations, as well smother homes. Mr. Elton called
attention to the fact that no "compensation" wee ever
paid to these weekly tenants when they were served with
"notices to gait," not "notices to treat." "Supply and
demand" was a very good thing in its way, and as fu as it
went, but it was no oonsoletioo to these poor people, on
turning them out, to may that all things found their level by
laws well understood by political economists, the upper
classes, and railway companies. Having again urged the
matter ea one about which they clearly bad • duty as
guardians of the poor, Mr. Storr begged that other gentle-
men would express frankly their opinions, and 'would make
such suggestiou as their long experience ea guardians might
enable them to offer. Several speakers followed,
and all agreed that the evil was great, and
yearly imaging. One gentleman said, it something wee
not done the lower cleanse might become disaffected and
give us trouble ; another suggested, "that railway schemes
were floated by professional men, menace, surveyors,
lawyers, and others, whose main object was not the public
good, but their own emolument ; soother remark made
was, " that if railway companies could get the sanction of
parliament to build grand hotels for the rich, they should
surely be made to build lodging howls" for tbs poor whom
they displace ;" another thought "that parliament would
not grant public money and undertake such work for Lon-
don, se, if so, the various large towns throughout the king-
dom would demand to be dealt with in the same
way." There was a further proposal that each municipality
*bald be provided with powers to borrow money on the
rates and build where houses were required, or have com-
pulsory powers to take (under proper certificates and gua-
rantees) houses that were dilapidated or pestilential, and
rebuild same, which seemed to be deemed worthy of fuller
consideration. A draft memorial was then read by Mr.
Kibler, the clerk, which was ordered to be printed, and
copies sent to every board of guardians within the metro-
politan district. The meeting then adjourned till a future
day, when the memorial will be diuussed, as well a the
necessity for petitions being presented to both homes of
parliament.