‘London needed the rebuilding of at least 400000 rooms to house its poorest citizens’. Explain this in your own words. Do you think it is proper?
Ans. With industrialisation, the city of London became a powerful magnet for a migrant population. Factory owners did not provide accommodation for the workers. Instead, private landlords put up cheap and unhealthy tenements for the migrants. The first social survey in 1887 revealed that as many as 1 million Londoners were very poor and were expected to live upto an average age of 29 (compared to the average life expectancy of 55 among the gentry and the middle class).
The one-room houses occupied by them were a serious threat to public health. These were overcrowded, badly ventilated and lacked sanitation. For the poor, the street often was the only place for rest, leisure and fun. Thus, the survey report concluded that London needed the rebuilding of at least 400000 rooms to house its poorest citizens. I think, it was proper to recognise the demand for housing for the poor. It would not only control . health problems, but also prevent the poor people from turning rebellious.