BURMA AND INDIA.

437
because of the Corporation’s inability to extend the supply. But although
sections of the existing Act contain provisions for the working out of town-
planning schemes, it has not been found possible to put these into opera-
tion. As regards the housing problem, the Trust has so far done no-
thing directly, and it has given no facilities for the acquisition of
land for workers’ houses. Within recent months a draft bill entitled
the Rangoon Immigrant Labour Housing Bill has been prepared for
the provision of housing accommodation. Under this bill, the Deve-
lopment Trust is authorised to maintain and administer a fund for
these purposes. The main source of income would be derived from
5 tax to be levied on every male passenger leaving Rangoon by sea-
going vessels for a destination outside Burma. Such a tax, which
would be additional to the Rs. 2 tax already in existence, is estimated
to produce Rs. 4 lakhs per annum. The objects on which this fund is
to be expended include repayment of loans, the purchase and preparation
of sites, the construction and maintenance of rest-houses, barracks
and other forms of accommodation suitable for housing labourers and
the payment of subsidies to private persons for the construction of such
buildings. Itis proposed that the Trust should build workmen’s dwellings
and then sell them to private owners atthe market price. The proceeds
of the tax would cover the loss incurred by the Trust. The proposals
smbodied in the bill met with some criticism on the ground that the whole
burden of providing the necessary taxation was to be placed on persons
leaving Burma. We deal later with the question of responsibility for hous-
ing, but we would observe here that various interests are responsible for,
and stand to gain from, the provision of satisfactory housing for immi-
grant labour. The Chairman of the Trust stated that they hoped to
build sufficient accommodation under this arrangement to house 33,000
persons in the next ten years and, by that time, to enable the municipal
public health authorities to use their powers in dealing with overcrowd-
ing without producing cases of unquestioned hardship. To begin with,
at least, the Trust’s activities are to be confined to the sewered area
of the city where the labourers are now living. One of the first
steps to be taken should be the provision of rest-house accommodation,
and we would emphasise the need for urgent action in this connection.
The Protector of Immigrants might with advantage be given some
responsibility for its supervision. We also consider that the desirability
of providing married quarters should not be overlooked.
Under-development of Available Sites.

A considerable amount of land, even in the heart of the city,
is not being used to the best advantage. Numbers of plots suitable for
housing purposes lie vacant, and some are held up either by private
owners for a rise in price or by some public authority for future
needs. Many other sites are “ under-developed ” in that the type of
building is inadequate or unsuited to the present needs of the locality.
Large and valuable sites are also occupied by such buildings as the
jail and the old asylum, both of which institutions could be advantage-
susly removed outside the city to cheaper and more open sites. The