§ MR. ROWLANDS (Kent, Dartford)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the Erith Urban District Council obtained the sanction of the Local Government Board to carry out the improvement in the Lower Abbey Road with a view to relieving the distress in the neighbourhood, on the understanding that an advance would be made to the Distress Committee from the unemployed fund, and that the Board made two grants from the fund for this special purpose; and whether, seeing that the urban district council summarily suspended the work, although the amount of distress had not 409 decreased, the Local Government Board will call upon the urban district council to proceed with the execution of the work.
§ MR. JOHN BURNSI am aware of the circumstances of this case. I understand that the urban district council stopped the work for the summer at the end of May on the ground that the balance of the money available for it should be reserved until next winter. I am not prepared to interfere with the decision of the urban district council in the matter; but, seeing that the work was undertaken with the object of relieving the distress from want of employment which existed at Erith in the early part of the year, I think it is to be regretted that greater progress was not made with the work during the past winter and spring.