THE COTTAGE. 139 



In all rural areas of England and Wales 61,000 tenements 

 had more than two occupants per room, and half a million 

 people were affected : roughly 6 per cent, of the population 

 of rural areas. 



Thirty-six per cent, of the population of rural areas lived 

 over one but not over two per room. 



N.B. The term " overcrowded," as used for the sake of convenience, 

 refers to families in which more than two persons on an average occupy 

 each room, including all living rooms. It does not allow for differences 

 in the size of rooms or represent any opinion as to what does or does not 

 constitute overcrowding, which must, of course, depend on a variety 

 of other factors, such as the age and sex of the occupants. 



NOTE C. The cost of building, in town and country, is tend- 

 ing to approximate. A brick cottage of the type frequently 

 erected before the war, costing 350, would now cost at least 

 700. But local factors, such as the accessibility of materials, 

 the nature of the site, etc., as well as the accommodation pro- 

 vided, affect the actual price. 



There are some new methods of construction and some very 

 old ones which appear to offer hopes of reduction in cost. Pise- 

 de-terre, cob and chalk may be suitable for some areas. Par- 

 ticulars of cost are not yet available, but it is thought that 

 they should be substantially below brick. 



Timber offers some advantages in speed of construction and 

 price. 



At the other end of the scale a number of quite new types of 

 construction in concrete and steel, and concrete have been 

 approved by the Ministry of Health. Some of these houses 

 are capable of being produced in large numbers and rapidly 

 erected. In many districts an economy of about 150 may be 

 possible by use of these methods instead of brick. 



Under the Housing (Additional Powers) Act just passed a 

 subsidy of 150 will be paid to landowners, farmers or others 

 erecting houses within twelve months for the working classes 

 under certain simple conditions. In the cases of cottages built by 

 local authorities the State is prepared to permit their sale on a 

 basis of two-thirds of the cost of erection, and in calculating 

 rents is prepared to wipe off one-third of the present cost of 

 erection. 



The probable cost of a rural cottage with standard accom- 

 modation will range from 500 to 750, so that either for the 

 purpose of sale or for calculating the economic rent the cost of 

 erection may be estimated roughly at from 350 to 500. 



Assuming that the State bears the loss on one-third of the 

 present cost of building, the economic rent of cottages of which 

 two-thirds of the building cost was 



