HH62/1/INVERN/15

Transcription

[page] 14

medicines. The heading is by small steam pipes from kitchen
range fire. It is estimated that the average cost of a building of
this description would be about £500, but of course this would
depend a good deal on the locality in which it is built.

INSANITARY HOUSES.
In a former report I drew attention to the wretched state of
many of the houses in the Western Islands, especially referring to
those dwellings where human beings and animals of all descrip-
tions are huddled together under the same roof. Dr Dewar,
Portree, describes a typical insanitary house in Skye as follows:-
"The house is divided into three apartments, with one entrance.
The first apartment is used for housing the cattle, the manure and
house refuse being allowed to accumulate here for months, and in
some cases until required for agricultural purposes. The second
apartment, used as kitchen, is divided from the first by a rudely
constructed partition a few feet high. The fire is on the middle
of the floor, and a small hole in the roof serves to let out the
smoke. As a rule there is no window, but a small pane of glass
is fixed in one corner, where the roof joins the wall. Beyond the
kitchen is the third apartment, used as a bedroom, with two or
more beds, according to the number of inmates. This apartment
is also used as the storeroom." Dr Stewart, Tarbert, thus
describes a similar house in Harris:- "The house is divided into
three compartments, with only one door of entrance. The first
compartment is used for housing the cattle, and the manure and
liquid filth are allowed to accumulate for twelve months before
the place is cleaned out. Immediately adjoining is the second
compartment or kitchen, usually divided by a rudely constructed
wooden partition from the cattle - in some instances there is no
partition at all; the third or innermost compartment is the bed-
room, containing two, four, or five beds. In this bedroom every
member of the family sleeps, irrespective of age or sex, and it is
often used for storing potatoes, straw, corn, and all sorts of
rubbish. The houses are seldom or never cleaned." As the great
majority of the people of the Long Island live in houses similar to
those above described, a remedy is urgently needed. If this stat
of matters existed in some remote colony, probably attention
would have been given to it long ago, but as it exists almost at
our very doors, nothing whatever has been done to assist these
poor islanders, and from a variety of causes they themselves have
been able to do little. The geological formation of the islands
does not include limestone, so to build stone and lime houses
means the importation of lime. The islands being destitute
of trees, the only wood to be obtained is from stray logs cast
up by the sea; and above all, we have to deal with an
essentially poor people, who yet, owing to their remoteness
from markets, have had to pay high prices for the most
ordinary necessaries of life. It is proposed to spend a considerable

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STONE BUILT THREE-ROOMED COTTAGE.

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IN NORTH UIST.