7 6

THE  HOUSING  QUESTION

Take  a  typical  and  well-known  instance—the  Brady
Street  area  in  Bethnal  Green.  Early  in  1919,  Queen
Alexandra  visited  this  area,  and  as  a  consequence  the
Ministry  of  Health  “  had  their  attention  directed  to
it,”  and  presumably  set  to  work.  In  a  reply  in  the
House  of  Commons  on  29th  June,  1921,  2^  years
later,  Sir  Alfred  Mond  said  that  no  decision  had  yet
been  given  in  regard  to  this  scheme.  Can  procrastination ­
  go  further  ?
On  13th  March,  1922,  the  Minister  at  length  reported
that  “  a  start  had  been  made  on  the  Brady  Street
Scheme.”
However,  Colonel  Fremantle,  a  Conservative  Coalition
Member  and  Chairman  of  the  Housing  Committee
of  the  London  County  Council,  threw  new  light  on
this.  He  told  the  Minister  that,  although  the  Brady
Street  Scheme  had  been  sanctioned  two  months
before  (January,  1922),  the  L.C.C.  had  heard  nothing
from  the  Ministry  as  regards  approval  of  17  other
most  urgent  slum-clearance  schemes,  where  enquiries
had  been  held  18  months  ago.  He  added,  “  We  were
right  behindhand  with  this  slum  business  and  waiting
for  a  policy.”
If  such  was  the  case  in  this  famous  slum,  things
elsewhere  in  the  country  are  much  worse.  Not  only
has  slum  clearance  practically  nowhere  begun,  but  the
Minister  would  not  during  1920  or  1921  consider  slum
clearance  schemes  at  all,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the
latter  year  sent  his  emissaries  round  the  larger  boroughs
to  implore  them  to  rescind  any  “  resolutions  ”  proposing
to  proceed  with  such  schemes.