Meanwhile there remains abundant work for builders. A Housing Census just produced by the Registrar General estimates that $0,000 families are living in "'incredibly bad. densities" of four or more people to one Foam, and over 180,000 tamiles living Maree or more to one room. This means certainly not less than' 1,500,- 000 human beings living under conditions that do not bear thinking about. This total is far below the, estimate vf 4,000,000 suggested by the Opposition in Parliament last Novernber, but isin all conscience bad enough. The worst part of it is that many of these unhappy folk could and would gladly pay for better quarters, but simply cannot find them within reach of their work. In all, the Registrar-General estimates that no, fewer than 382,700 families are living below standard" level.
He calculates the number of new houses "desirable" during the 1931-34 period as 1,700,000 of which 800,000 had been built by the end of last September. Slums snd overerowd-Ing are, of course, not quite the. same. A house may be overcrowded yet still, in Itself, decently habitable, But the' two are' very closely allied, and thus the construction of new houses does not keep very far ahead of the deterioration of the old. The conclusion is Inevitable that the only solution which will give the working-class durable, comfortable quarters, near their work, is blocks 2f fats The prejudice against them, born of the "old Englishnan's-house-is-his castle tradition, is dying under the stress of necessity. And really the new workmen's flats are excellent, well-built and fitted with conveniences undreamt of even in the biggest mansions half a century ago.
Tu passing, the Registrar-General notes a steady decline in the average size of a family from 436 persona in 1911 (could even Solomon have calculated a decimal child?) to 3.72 in 1991. "Now, however, the birth-rate has begun to show "signs of rising gain, with 4 per 1,000 birth more 1994 than 1983. What. percentage of additional houses or fats that requires, I leave you to calculate.
The Theatrical Dispute Echoes from the resounding sea of the dispute between Equity (the actors' trade union) and the theatrical managers have no doubt reached you from time to time. It flared up into particular "notoriety over the position of Mr. George Robey in ihe "Jolly Roger" and was cottied then his taking a share in the costs of [the venture and thus, fictionally, becoming a producer instead of an factor. Now Equity has presented an ultimatum to Drury Lane—no artistes to be engaged for the production of Ivor Novello's "Glamorous Nights" except members of Equity. Drury Lane seems a pretty big chunk for Equity to bite off, and it is made the bigger by the adherence of 36 West End managers. But Drury Lane particularly wants Miss Mary Ellis for /"Glamarous Nights" and she is standing firmly by Equity.
The managers held 2 meeting yesterday "and endorsed Drury Lane's resistance to the "closed shop" insisted on by Equity, But they showed the conscious Weakness of their position by approving the idea of a standard contract for minimum rates. of pay and fair conditions of employment, and they would "welcome a pennament board" of representatives! of both sides to settle intermittent disputes. Also, they suggest that the dispute over "Glamorous Nights" should be referred to arbitration.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.