272 CHAPTER XV,
beings are born, sleep and eat, live and die. The one bright feature in a
number of centres is the effort made by the more advanced employers to
provide housing. Employers’ housing schemes vary greatly ; some are
admirable and others less so ; but the worst is usually better than the best
of the alternative accommodation open to the worker.

To these comments, which are applicable to the industrial
areas generally, we would add observations on the more important areas
individually.

The ‘“ Bustees ” of Bengal.
Owing to the rapid and extensive development of industries in
the Calcutta and Howrah areas, land for housing has become scarce and
commands extraordinarily high prices. The workers have for long
found it difficult to obtain adequate housing accommodation, and to meet
their need, private landlords, often mill sardars, erect houses and huts in
the neighbourhood of the mills and let these at rents so high as to absorb a
considerable proportion of the workers’ earnings. Little or no consider-
ation being given to the amenities of life, every available foot of land has
been gradually built upon until the degree of overcrowding and conges-
tion, particularly in certain parts of Howrah, is probably unequalled in
any other industrial area in India. In Calcutta, the activities of the Im-
provement Trust in driving roads through some of the worst slums and in
providing drainage have only partially improved prevailing conditions in
the working class areas. +
Employers’ Schemes in Howrah.

The housing schemes provided by a few of the mills and fac-
tories in Howrah present a striking contrast to adjoining slums. Fre-
quently, however, their lay-out has been controlled by strict limitations
of space so that, although there is adequate provision of water-taps,
surface drains and septic-tank latrines, and conservancy is given due atten-
tion, the back-to-back type of dwelling has often been adopted, the rows of
houses are insufficiently spaced out, and the size of the individual rooms
may be below recognised health standards. At the same time, these mill
bustees are immensely superior to most of the other housing accommoda-
tion available and give an indication of what still waits to be done for the
rest of the working population.

Employers’ Schemes in the Jute Mills Areas.

In 53 mills for which figures have been received, nearly 41,000
houses have been built by the employers to accommodate about 131,000
of their workers and it has been estimated “that between 30 and 409,
of the total labour force in these areas is housed by the various com-
panies. Most of these houses are built in back-to-back rows and consist
of one room with a verandah in front in which cooking and washing is
done. Inthe better lines the space between the rows is paved with brick
and drained. Windows and roof ventilation are also provided in some
types, whilst artificial lighting has been extended to a number of lines, A
large number of septic-tank latrines have effected immense improvements
in conservancy and sanitation. Water supplies are usually provided by