Engines of Social Progress (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: they see their lives miserably ooze away without joy to them or profit to humanity; they want to give a living proof of the possibility of creating a small and happy community, with the hope that others may emulate them, and enjoy equally the fruits of intellect and altruism. APPENDIX TO CHAPTER IV CHEAP COTTAGES AND RURAL HOUSING Strictly speaking, there are no rural model dwellings, for the conditions of country life are such that families cannot be lodged in barracks, not only because small groups of workers are every day spread over wide areas, but because there are no means of communication which would permit rapid transit. Under the present system, agricultural land being in the hands of a limited class, whose employees must needs live practically on the spot, housing cannot be other than individual; from the point of view of the preservation of family feeling, this is perhaps an advantage. In any event, at the present time the attention of the reformer or philanthropic landlord has been brought to bear on one point only viz., the cottage as a home for the agricultural labourer. The difficulties with which innovators have been faced are immense, and they all proceed from a common source the poverty of the agricultural labourer.Bates of wages are low in the counties, and but little lower in proportion when a house is thrown in. The unskilled labourer spends practically all he earns where he sleeps, so that a reduction in his rental is the greatest boon that can be conferred on him. Taking as a basis the following table, published by a correspondent of the textit{Standard (November 16, 1905), we arrive at figures from which we can easily see that this is the case: Kental Of A Laboubee's Cottage. Capital outlay (building only), textit{115; rent, at 8s. per wee...