HOUSING OF THE INDUSTRIAL WORKER. 287
forces, through an increased efficiency and consequently a greater capacity
for output. It is obvious, however, that so far only the fringe of the
problem has been touched. With the best intentions industrial concerns
have been unable to provide for more than 10 to 409} of their
smployees, and it is unlikely that even the most prosperous industries
could house all their workers without the active assistance, both financial
and otherwise, of Government and municipal authorities. It must also
be remembered that the accommodation provided by employers is in
most cases given rent free and, even where rent is charged, a direct
economic return is seldom obtained on the capital outlay.
Co-operation.

Important causes contributing to the present situation are the
lack of co-ordination between the parties concerned and the apparent
doubt as to where the responsibility should lie. The efforts made by
some employers seem to have encouraged a tendency to leave the
whole problem to them, whilst some municipalities tend to look to
Government to raise, from the people as a whole, funds which should
be found locally. The position demands immediate attention, not only
from Governments and local authorities, but also from organised industry
and the public, since all are deeply concerned. We consider that, in the
first place, every provincial Government should take the initiative by mak-
ing a survey of its urban and industrial areas in order to be possessed of
exact information as to their most urgent needs. Fach Government
should then arrange for conferences with all the interested parties in
order that decisions could be taken in regard to practicable schemes and
the methods by which their cost could be shared. We support the re-
commendation made by the Indian Industrial Commission that local
authorities should be responsible for the proper development and lay-
out of industrial areas and for the provision and maintenance of proper
sanitary conditions. We believe that many industrial concerns would
be prepared to co-operate with the authorities in schemes in which the
financial burden was shared. Where suitable Government land is avail-
able, we think that Governments should be prepared to sell or lease it to
those who agree to build houses within a specified period. The fact that
many employers have already spent large sums in providing decent
houses for their own workers suggests that this method would succeed,
for it need not be anticipated that in the future employers will prove
less public-spirited than in the past. In order to encourage their activi-
ties in this direction and to relieve them of at least part of the burden
they have assumed, we consider that Governments should announce their
willingness to subsidise, in this or in other ways, housing schemes ad-
vanced by employers after these have received their approval. Such
action neither removes responsibility from the Government or from public
authorities nor prevents them from taking independent action. At the
same time it would ease the burden, particularly in the smaller industrial
areas, and would promote that combination of public and private effort
without, which it will be impossible to make progress. The whole