Homes for Heroes—Deferred (1943)

From the July 1943 issue of the Socialist Standard

Those who wish to improve the housing conditions of the working class have always received considerable vocal support. For a century the housing problem has provoked prolonged debate and intensive efforts from reformists to get something done. Despite these efforts, many workers still live in slums, in unhealthy hovels, and in overcrowded conditions. Recently it was the subject for debate in the House of Lords and in the Commons.

Lord Beaverbrook urged the Government to proceed with its emergency scheme for 30,000 houses for agricultural labourers. His efforts were rewarded by the following compliment from Emrys Hughes in Forward, May 8th, 1943 :

“Good for Lord Beaverbrook. If he devotes his energies to this campaign … he should get our whole-hearted backing and support, with the addendum that he is not shouting half loud enough.” The addendum frightens us; a loud shout may blow these houses down. A report on this scheme came from Bradford (Wilts) and appeared in the Daily Herald, April 20th, 1943. Mr. R. P. Pearce, surveyor, stated “he was very much afraid the amount of timber allowed by the authorities was too flimsy to stand a wind of gale force.” Pleasant prospects !

While the noble Lords were so keenly interested in the workers’ welfare, the Commons were indulging in a “home for heroes” debate. Some significant remarks were made (Daily Herald, May 5th). Mr. Hogg, Tory M.P., stated : “A large part of our population is still living in eighteenth century conditions.” Mr. H. Thorneycroft, Labour M.P., pointed out: “Manchester needs 76,000 houses, and at this moment 68,000 are condemned.” Mr. E. Brown, the Minister of Health, wound up by making no promises either for now or the immediate future, although “he admitted that at least 4,000,000 (houses) would be needed after the war.” For the heroes—hope deferred. Four million is a tremendous advance on earlier estimates; ten years ago, before the war aggravated the problem, 1,400,000 houses were estimated as sufficient to abolish overcrowding !

Now that it is known how many dwellings are necessary to house the workers, statisticians may derive pleasure from ascertaining how long that will take at the pre-war rate of building. Items they should not forget in their calculations are the drive for profit, heavy air-raids with their wholesale destruction of working-class homes, also the thousands of “decent” homes now rapidly deteriorating into slums. The problem will not be solved within capitalism.

Basically, there is no such thing as a housing problem. The problem for the workers is poverty, and that will remain so long as capitalism remains. Before the war we witnessed the erection of great buildings for the use of the capitalists, either for homes or for commercial purposes. Colossal quantities of material and thousands of hours of labour were required to do this work. There was no problem—the places were needed by the capitalists, who could afford to pay, so they were built. The needs of the workers are more pressing, but the barrier is insurmountable—the barrier of poverty. Nothing will be built unless it is required by the capitalist or a profit is expected from them. Again we stress the workers live in slums and hovels because they are poor and can afford nothing better.

Two days after the debate had finished, and the problem had been shelved for a few months, evidence for our contention was given in a report on a village fire. Of the 21 houses of Kelmarsh, Northants, 14 were destroyed. These houses were 300 years old. The Daily Herald, May 6th, 1943, reported : “Forty-four people are homeless and nobody knows what is going to happen to them. … Mothers . . . ran for buckets of water. ‘But we had only three taps,’ said Mrs. Vials. . . . They are being housed in empty bedrooms in a wing of the Hall, home of Col Claud Granville Lancaster, M.P.” Comment unnecessary.

Lew Jones