8o 
THE HOUSING QUESTION 
proper adaptation into tenements for many families, thus inten 
sifying existing evils, streets of new tenements in the towns 
developed with the minimum regard for amenity. ; . 
This account of Scottish slums can be matched 
all over England and Wales. 
Here is Sir Robert Newman, H.P., a Conservative 
Coalitionist, speaking in the House of Commons, 
2 ist July, 1921:— 
" I feel that possibly I may be more unfortunately situated 
than some Members in that I openly admit that at the last General 
Election one of the chief planks of my platform was that I would 
do all in my power to remove slums and bad dwellings. If I 
had not taken up that position, I should have felt happier than 
I do to-night. Although I am fully aware of the vast importance 
of economy, I am bound to admit that when we come to the 
question of the housing of the people, we have got something to 
consider as well as economy. It is a matter of life and death. 
Some Members have spoken as though they had not seen any 
slums. I venture to think there are not many Members of this 
House who have not visited slums in their constituencies, and 
become aware of the state of affairs in these districts. 
“ I have visited houses which have impressed me most deeply 
with the fact that I cannot imagine how people live in them at 
all, with their rickety stairs and wretched conditions. But I 
know they do, and I have wondered how they get people down 
stairs when they die in these houses. I have also had the advan 
tage of a chart very carefully got out by a medical officer. Some 
Hon. Gentlemen may laugh at these facts, but they are very 
serious and impressive. I look at the chart which this medical 
officer has drawn up with little black marks for tuberculosis 
cases. I have seen in the better-class districts very few of these 
black marks, but when you examine the slums you find the 
marks practically jostling each other, so closely are they packed. 
Under these circumstances, I do say that we have a question of