Housing Miners (Loans). (Hansard, 30 May 1912)

§ Sir ARTHUR MARKHAM

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what loans for the housing of miners have been made during the past six years ending the 31st December, 1911, under Section 67 of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, in the counties of Nottingham, Derby, and York, respectively; the total amount of loans made in the same period 1695W and for the like purpose in England, Scotland, and Wales, respectively; (2) whether he is aware that the Public Loan Commissioners have refused applications for loans under the Housing Act for miners without even making any local inquiries whatsoever as to the needs of housing or the congestion and overcrowding prevailing owing to want of houses; whether he has sanctioned this method of dealing with such applications; whether he is aware that the Commissioners refuse to discuss the merits of any scheme, merely replying that they are only responsible to Parliament for their decisions; (3) whether, seeing that Clause 67 of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, provides that, to encourage the better housing of working men, loans amounting to 50 per cent, on the cost may be advanced for this purpose, he will say what steps, if any, he has taken to encourage and further the provisions of this Bill; whether he has since his term of office placed at the disposal of the Loan Commissioners sufficient funds to enable them to carry out the Act, whether the Loan Commissioners have had to refuse loans for this purpose having regard to the amount of money placed at their disposal by him; (4) if he will say, in view of the statement he made at Cardiff on the 29th December, 1911, that the housing conditions in certain districts in South Wales were a disgrace to civilisation, whether he is aware that the Public Loan Commissioners have recently refused to sanction loans for the housing of miners in Yorkshire to a Welsh firm of builders on the ground that such a scheme was not of public benefit; whether he is aware that this refusal has resulted in the builders erecting cheap houses without baths and the other conveniences which are compulsory under the Housing Act; whether he proposes to take any action in the matter; (5) whether, seeing the Public Works Loan Commissioners number seventeen gentlemen, fourteen of whom at least are bankers and assurance directors controlling the largest banks and financial houses in the City, he will, in approving new appointments to this body, take steps to ensure that the commercial and working classes in this country are also represented; (6) if he will state the total number of attendances made fey each of the Public Works Loan Commissioners during the year 1911, the total number of meetings of the whole board held during the same period, and the average number of Commissioners 1696W present at such board meetings; (7) whether he is aware that sums of money are advanced to colliery companies by bankers for the building of miners' houses at 5 per cent, interest, and that the payment of this rate of interest necessitates miners' rents being considerably higher than if the money was advanced under the Housing of the Working Classes Act; whether he will consider the advisability of placing money at the disposal of the Public Works Loan Commissioners in order that the building of workmen's dwellings may be carried out under the Housing Act of 1890 rather than by bankers' loans; and (8) whether, seeing that under Section 4 (2) of the Housing and Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909 public utility societies are entitled to receive loans from the Public Works Loan Commissioners for the building of workmen's houses, he is aware that the Loan Commissioners, in reply to an application on behalf of workmen who wished to avail themselves of this Section of the Act, stated in reply that it was necessary the workmen should first form themselves into such a society, when queries to elicit the information the Board required would then be addressed to such society; and will he say generally what are the queries in question, seeing the workmen might incur the expense of forming themselves into a society and then be refused a loan on the ground that such a loan was not in the public interest?