Description: London Borough (29' 08")

An opening title explains that, although the film deals primarily with the London Borough Council of Camberwell, the general principles apply to all local authorities throughout England and Wales. A barrowboy, Mr Simpson, played by Richard Waring, is in court for not paying his rates. He says he didn’t know he had to and so the Judge, played by Gilbert Harding, calls the Clerk of Camberwell Council, played by Derek Waring, to the witness stand to prove he’s worth his money. Through a series of illustrations drawn by local children, the clerk gives a history of local government. In Anglo-Saxon times there were Tidings of ten men. Each tiding elected its own leader who was responsible for its members. In Norman times the Tidings were grouped into Hundreds who were responsible for roads and bridges. Each county had an Earl or Count as a sheriff who would visit the Hundreds every two years and would hear local offences. In the 14th century the sheriff became unpopular and he was replaced with a Justice of the Peace who met with the Hundreds once a quarter. The powers of administration were now with local government and by the 16th century it was dispensing Poor Relief. Much would have been achieved if there hadn’t been corruption. In the 19th century there was reform and in 1871 the Local Government Board was set up.

The Judge becomes bored with the history lesson so the clerk explains how borough councils work today. Councillors are elected every three years and take their place in the Council Chamber. Their first duty is to elect a mayor. Ten aldermen are also elected and the sixty councillors are divided into standing and sub committees. How they work is shown in a vignette with the judge himself. He is seen relaxing with the paper in the garden when a horde of children climb over his wall and run through his grounds. He writes to the council suggesting that the children be provided with an alternative playground. The clerk gives the letter to the Works Committee who refers it to the Parks and Open Spaces Committee. The council debates the issue at the next council meeting. In the dock Mr Simpson wants to know what he has to pay for. The Borough Treasurer is called to the witness stand. There follows an exposition of the council’s activities, edited into a day in the life of Camberwell and narrated by different voices. The sequence begins early in the morning with council workmen clearing up after the day before. They plant trees and trim them in Gilkes Place and dustmen take away the waste in a dustcart. Later on in the morning the Sampling Officer checks the spirits at The Plough pub by sampling a scotch. At the baker’s a baker’s boy is chastised by a Public Health inspector for using the dough mixer with the lid off. A council lorry stops at Mrs Martin’s house which should have been condemned years ago. It is infested and workmen go in to disinfect it. Mrs Martin’s daughter hides her teddy so it can’t be disinfected. The workmen take away the mattress. Because of the housing shortage the house hasn’t been torn down but the segment ends with the council finding Mrs Martin alternative accommodation. At lunchtime the film turns its attention to the Dulwich Library and a local art gallery. At a building site a woman narrator says she’s waiting for her new house to be built. At the Planning office plans are coming to fruition: eleven thousand Camberwell families have been rehoused in the race against time to bring amenities to all. In a school there’s a road awareness lesson delivered by a policeman. Meals on Wheels make one of their 2/ 3 deliveries of hot food each week. There is also a mobile library for old people. At 4pm school is over and the children run out, forgetting all that has been taught to them about road safety. They go into the pet shop and the park. The narrator says everybody in the park, [most probably Dulwich Park], feels homely feel about the park. There is a ballet performance on stage, people can play tennis, bowls, walk, or just lie in the sun. There are three public baths in the borough. Mothers can do the weekly wash there while the children go swimming. In the winter a floor is put over the swimming pool and badminton clubs, concerts and dances all take place there. It is finally night-time and the borough is going to sleep. Lovers who have gone to the cinema draw out the lingering moments on park benches and a night watchman guards the road-works. A policeman goes on his beat and another council day starts again. The Judge delivers his verdict: the council does nothing but good.

Shirley Schools, Croydon (Bermondsey Borough Council) (29'17") duration 9'12"

In 1903, the St Olave union (which was renamed the Parish of Bermondsey in 1904) erected a large children's cottage home "village” in Shirley near Croydon. The 38 homes, known as Shirley Schools, were scattered over an 80-acre site. Each house contained around a dozen children who were looked after by a house-father, or house-mother. Some children stayed there for just a few weeks, some for up to fifteen years.

This film is of a sports day and pageant but it is not made clear why the event is taking place. Little children dance round a maypole; older boys have a pillow fight, whilst hanging upside down on a pole, while the girls take part in a bun-eating race which involves trying to eat a bun on a string with their hands tied behind their backs. There is a flag race for the girls and a 220-yard sprint for the boys. The race is won by Albert Camp, who poses proudly for the camera. The games end with Tilting the Bucket where children push other children holding jousts along in wheelbarrows. The children with the joust have to put it through a hole, which, if pushed forcefully enough, empties a bucket of water over them. There follows a series of dances with children in costume. The Welsh dance is followed by the dance of The Wooden Soldiers, followed by the Dutch Dance and then the Cavalry Dance. Finally, an intertitle tells us that when the children leave the school at 16 they are given a complete outfit of clothes and a situation. May Grove, in grown-up clothes, walks down the street and smiles at the camera. She is followed by the race winner, Albert Camp, who is also ready - as the caption states - to “take his place in the world”.