El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-06-21
LIVE IN
UNSANIT AIRY
SMALL HOUSES
Conditions of Dwellings
Constitute Menace
To the Race.
TWENTY PERCENT
OF THE BABIES DIE

( 7 ONDON. Eng. June 21--Forty per-
l. cent OF the bonnie lassies" of
Scotland live in two room houses An
other y percent live in one room
houses.
Sir Donald MacLean, labor member
. Of parliament from Scotland. told the
house that thousands Of people in
Scotland are living under conditions
that no humane farmer would toler-
ate for his horses and cattle.
In parliamentary debate or a hous-
ing bill designed to remedy over
crowded conditions. it was brought
out that living accommodations were
worse in Scotland than in any other
part Of the United Kingdom
This may account for some OF the
emigration to America
The report Of the Scottish housing
committee, according to Robert Nun
70. secretary for Scotland, revealed a
situation that was menace TO health
and an affront 10 decency. This COM
mission. Munro said. found there were
1878 one room houses in Scotland,
or 12-S percent. and 439,s54 two room
houses. or 4o-4 percent What condi-
lions must be during sickness OF
childbirth was left to the imagination
Of the members Of parliament Many
OF the cottages are without sanitary
conyenienees and without water piped
in
Many Infants Die.
This overcrowding. the royal COM
mission found, had a direct bearing
upon infant mortality In one room
houses the death rate Of babies was
20 Per 1000. while in two room houses
il was 154 per 100U. The Scottish
Miners federation was responsible for
agitation which led to the housing
survey by the government
As a result. a bill has been intro
dueed providing that hereafter no
house shall be built in Scotland with
less than three rooms. Local authori-
ties win be ordered. as in England. to
build houses II OVercrOWdinE or
shortage exists. A subsidy viii be
granted by the British treasury If the
local authority hasn't the cash or can
not raise it 70 meet expenses Of neces-
sary house building
Comments during the debate were
surprising Said Sir d. MacBean-
What a condemnation Of our civ
iiizationf ] don't wonder at labor IN
rest. what I wonder at Is the patience
OF our people. The marvel is that they
have stood these terrible conditions
so long; but they are awake now,
and thank God for it,
Danger Ahead.
Government and public authorities
are very unwilling to move until the
red light is shining. The red light is
shining today. Fear in itself is no
real instrument of reform.f but hap
PLY we have now, also, an aroused
public conscience and an awakened
human sympathy"
J. Brown. labor member from Ayr
shire, said If the government did not
wish to see revolution, which nobody
wished TO see on our Shore" it must
insist that houses should be provided
at once for the working classes OF
Scotland. in order that they might
have homes
AT present they have not homes.
but merely places in which to breed
and very little room at that. he said
7. B. Morrison. solicitor general for
Scotland, said housing conditions in
Scotland were probably worse than in
any other part OF the empire.
Rear admiral Adzir. who quit the
navy TO go into industrial work on
the CLYDE, described the housing con-
ditions Of Glasgow as .'damnable-"
Sir Walter Cheyne, an eminent med I
ical man, Listers disciple. urged cree I
ton OF new houses far away from +
smoke laden atmosphere, stating that I
lichens would not grow within three
miles Of central London. owing to the
smoke and what was not good for (
the vegetable world could not be good .
for the animal world"
The royal commissions report /
showed that 236. o00 houses are needed Z
At once in Scotland, 5o,0oe Of them in 4
Glasgow