142 THE AGRICULTURAL CLUB. 



Mr. Rea pointed out that there were a number of existing 

 cottages in rural districts capable of improvement at less 

 expense than building new cottages. He asked if the 

 Ministry of Health had considered that matter and whether 

 they were prepared to assist owners who desired to remodel 

 and repair such cottages. With reference to tied houses he 

 thought that where, as in the north, each farm had cottages, 

 as part of its farm equipment it would be difficult to find 

 a sounder system. That would do away with the problem 

 of economic rent, for the provision of a good cottage would 

 really count as part of the cost of production. 



To this last remark Mr. Haman Porter rejoined that what 

 he objected to was the tied cottage in the village and not on 

 the farm. 



At an early date in August, 1918 Mr. (now Sir Lawrence) 

 Weaver gave an address on " Rural Housing Policy and 

 Administration," in which, " speaking freely as a private 

 individual," he gave a useful summary of the problem as 

 affecting the agricultural labourer, basing his remarks on 

 documents issued by the Departments concerned. The 

 schemes adumbrated at that time subsequently underwent 

 considerable modification, but in the course of the discussion 

 one or two points of general interest emerged. One was 

 the question of providing baths in rural cottages, and views 

 pro and con were expressed. The housewife's point of 

 view was expressed by Mrs. Bradbury and Miss Saward, who 

 urged that both types of cottage one with and one without 

 a bath should be provided, and that at any rate a bath 

 should be available in the village if not in each cottage. I 

 may observe, parenthetically, that in at least one village this 

 solution of the problem has been adopted at Iwerne 

 Minister, where Mr. James Ismay has provided public 

 baths for the village, which are largely made use of, a 

 moderate charge being made for hot and cold baths re- 

 spectively. Lord Bledisloe has provided an excellent 

 open-air swimming bath at Lydney, and other instances 

 might be quoted where the desire for cleanliness may be 

 gratified. It is, of course, a survival of a bad old tradition 

 that the desire does not exist ; it has been greatly stimu- 



