Evening star., 1935-08-25
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.


time in The Star.
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.
Building opel ations commonly are
measuring stick for economic and So
cial progress, end evidence of return
ing prosperity may be discerned In
Great Britain this Summer in the
number of construction enterprises
under way.
the Isle Of Wight to Berwick, at the
mouth of the Tweed. new houses,
apartment buildings, hotels, taverns,
factories and warehouses are being |
erected. The southern counties espe-
cially are enjoying an unprecedented |
boom. Carpenters, bricklayers, plas-
terers, roofers and GLACIERS are "in |
work" as never before in many years.
The real estate trade to all appear
ances is entering an expansion period
Of unparalleled dimensions.
Doubtless, II is true that natural
causes are involved. England was
underbuilt before the World War,
the country emerged from the conflict
into veritable housing famine. David
Lloyd George. it may be remembered,
employed the need of the people for
shelter in his Hang the Kaiser" cam
paign Of December, 1918, but his pro-
gram Of houses fit for heroes" had to
be abandoned in 1921. Spasmodic in
dependent efforts were initiated with
fair consistency during the next
decade. The problem, however, re-
mained unsolved until coalition of
the forces of Ramsay Macdonald and
Stanley Baldwin brought the so-called
national government into power. Then
o fresh start was made and the fruits
of that planting now are conspicuously
obvious. The English landscape lit
orally is blosscming with domestic and
industrial architecture.
Modernistic Trend Evident.
And the designs are credible. Small
houses customarily are sketched in
consonance with Tudor conceptions
and Anne Hathaways cottage at STRAIT
ford is being duplicated multitudinous
ly everywhere The idea fits into"
existing skylires unobtrusively. Near
London several fine garden cities"
have been constructed after Eliza
bethan models, and within the metro
politan area-at Goulders Green, for
3nstance-whole streets of apartments
have been built in the same mode.
The vast housing projects of West
minister. however, reflect the modern
istic tastes of similar developments on
the continent. Entire blocks of cube
shaped flats" with gray brick walls
and criss-croSs windows have been
raised between the Abbey and the
Tate Gallery at Millbank. But wor-
thier examples of the latter-day style
are the new department stores, shops,
motor show rooms and restaurants of
PIccadilly. Bond street, Regent street
and oxford street. The Cumberland
Hotel at the Marble Arch and the
new Corner House cafes of the Lyons
syndicate are the --latest word" in
futurism, convenience and comfort
judged unnecessarily radical" by the
conservative critics of architecture,
but frankly appreciated by those
who like that sort of thing"
At Staines and in other suburbs of
London new automobile assembly
plants, food products factories and
other industrial establishments mir
ror the changing point of view of the
people with regard to pragmatic
building Scientific notions of heat
ing, lighting and ventilation are man.
ifeSt in each separate structure, with
green lawns and colorful beds of
flowers to "adorn the tale"
SIum Clearance Next.
But the end is not yet. Mr.. Bald
win, succeeding Mr.. Macdonald. has
or his agenda the business of demol-
ishing 100000 slum dwellings and the
replacing of them with 286,000 new
homes 10 accommodate 1,250,000 per-
sons The goal is nothing less than
"a permanent raising of our standard
OF civilization" as Sir Hilton Young
expressed it. Necessary capital will
be found by the government and the
"local authorities" comparatively.
Meanwhile, private enterprise is
being stimulated and the renovation
Of hundreds of properties amenable
to salvage is being undertaken. The
Houses of Parliament are undergoing
process of refacement, the Henry
VIII chapel OF the Abbey recently has
been cleaned and redecorated, the
Come of st. Paul's Is being reinforced,
a new wing is being added to the Tate
Gallery, several badly needed annexes
to the British Museum have been
completed at Kensington, the Royal
Geographic Society has built a new
home, dozen or more new hospitals
ere projected and new schools, COL
lege and university halls are CROP
ping up overnight
But 1t is worthy of mention that no
experimental restoration work and no
adventurous innovations are being
approved. The ministry of health q
few weeks ago proclaimed ban on
Ekyscrapers as unnecessary and un-
desirable" It also has stipulated
that none but good materials are to
90 into subsidized enterprises.
Another watchdog" is the London
County Council which recently an
nounced plan for new housing
estate to be constructed on a 50-acre
portion of the White City exhibition
grounds at Shepherds Bush. A COM
mitee of experts will examine de-
signs, check up on materials and
keep an eye on labor.