commentary . insoluble housing problem . the trouble with long standing problems is that most people get used to them . the housing problem has been with us as a serious social difficulty for 16 years - since the close of world war 2 . in the immediate post war years it led to a public outcry . the political parties vied with each other in their claims as to how many houses could be built under their own programmes . in a way the problem was simpler then . the need was gigantic . the task was solely to see how speedily it could be met with the materials and labour available . in 1961 the public sympathy is still with those who need housing , but attention is often focussed more on the young home-seekers , the newly-married couples wishing to set up a home , but faced with mortgages . there is a tendency for some of us to overlook the still urgent need for adequate housing for established families . Chislehurst-Sidcup council have a housing list of more than 1,300 . with the exception of the North Cray Place Estate , they have built all the major estates they can . there is little land left in the urban district , with its green belt setting , for either council or private developer . in what straits those 1,300 live only the council &apos;s housing committee and its officers know . their work is confidential , as it should be . what we do know is that the newcomers on the list outstrip the council &apos;s ability to provide accommodation . at least , that is what is happening at the present time . we also know that even in this pleasant district , some families are still living in overcrowded conditions . the view has been expressed in council that the housing problem will be with us for many years to come . the word always has been used . if that is to be the case , then we need some shrewd thinking on what to do about it . what hope is there for the 1,300 and the hundreds more who will no doubt go to the council offices in the years to come ? the council are urged to concentrate on slum clearance - there are a few slums in Chislehurst-Sidcup - and at the same time they are reminded to provide dwellings specially suitable for the elderly . how can they fulfil all their commitments ? the decision to sell the houses at North Cray to tenants on special terms has its merits . it is generally recognised to be good for people to own their own houses . by this means the council should encourage people who would never have envisaged buying their own homes to take on that responsibility . at the same time , it will check the trend for the council to become the landlords of an ever-increasing number of tenants . but it can have only a minor effect on this resurgent housing problem as a whole . must that remain with us as a social cancer until the day that the talk of a move of population away from the London octopus turns into action , forced on us by sheer desperate necessity ? commentary . is our education worth the price ? last week marked the end of the school year . it means relaxation after a long period of intense activity , which , for many children , has indicated prospects for the future . some have said farewell to schools that have guided and encouraged them , and next month they will be going on to one of the forms of secondary education now bestowed . others have left school to make their way in a highly competitive technical and scientific world . how well they fare will depend on how much they have assimilated in the years before and after the 11-plus - that mystic phrase that has brought quite unnecessary worry to parents and children . as one head master said recently , there is no such thing as failing the 11-plus . it merely provides a means of deciding the best form of education for each child , and from what we have seen it certainly works in the vast majority of cases . during the last two or three weeks of the summer term Kentish Times reporters visited school open days and spoke to head teachers and members of their staffs . they have visited classrooms and have seen how modern trends in education are helping to prepare the children for the years ahead . they have been impressed by light , airy schools , equipped with the most modern aids . the facilities are provided , and it is up to the children to make the best use of them . they have only themselves to blame if they do not . those about to start work will continue to learn and they will be given every assistance to pursue their studies , not only by the education authorities , but also by the firms who will employ them . vast sums are spent on education every year ; in fact the Kent bill accounts for the majority of county spending . it has risen over the years and will continue to rise . the poor ratepayer has to pay , and it is therefore right that he should ask , is it worth it ? indeed is it ? the future of the country is with the children at present being taught in our schools . we must see they have every chance of playing their part . there are black sheep in every fold , but the great majority fulfil our hopes . the price is high , but so is the objective . consider all aspects of the question before giving a verdict . that done , there can be only one answer - it is worth it ! commentary . thefts from cars . during this year so far there appears to have been a marked decline in the incidence of crime from last autumn &apos;s peak , which led Sidcup and district chamber of commerce to appeal for more police protection and to seek information as to how best their trader members could protect their property . the traders and public at large can , in the main , thank the Sidcup police for that improvement . they have shown a remarkable vigilance and alertness in past months . but there is one form of petty theft which has not abated but appears rather to be on the increase - the theft of property from cars . every week there are instances of car spares and accessories , and quite frequently transistor radio sets , being stolen from parked cars , according to police reports . in most cases the thefts occur in the unattended public car parks in the urban district , easy and rich hunting grounds for the prowling car thief at night . the high incidence of these thefts has caused the Sidcup police to issue yet another warning to the public this week . it is simply to ask car owners to make sure their cars are properly locked before they are left , with no property of value left visibly enticing on the back seat . a locked door is at least a deterrent - a thief will move on to easier prey . bank holiday tragedy . in the last year or so road safety officials have acclaimed Chislehurst-Sidcup as an area free of accidents during the bank holiday weekends . technically , the record has not really been broken . the only major accident of the week-end occurred a few yards outside the urban district boundaries , but the victim was a Chislehurst boy , and the horror of it touches us all . the cause of that disaster may be revealed at the adjourned inquest . it took place on a part of the A20 that has a dual carriageway - which the people of Sidcup are still hoping will be extended into this urban district - so the need for a road improvement of that nature can not be argued in this case . what is alarming is not only that this sort of accident can still happen with dual carriageways , but that there could so easily have been other fatal accidents within the urban district over the week-end . a number of brushes between traffic was reported to the police , several of them causing minor injury . the people concerned were lucky . the truth of the matter is that unless there is marked improvement in driving standards on our over-congested roads other drivers may find themselves less lucky in the days ahead . commentary . vandalism . less than a year ago we drew attention in this column to the price being paid by the ratepayers of Chislehurst-Sidcup for the acts of vandalism committed by small gangs of hooligans . it is lamentable that we should so soon have to record our disgust and dismay at the amount of damage still being caused to public and private property , not only in this district , but also in neighbouring areas . wanton damage caused to a pavilion at Mottingham has cost Chislehurst-Sidcup and Orpington divisional education committee more than &amp;pound;400 . we record this week that a cricket pitch at Penhill was badly damaged on Friday night by hooligans , who uprooted the stakes protecting the square and ripped the turf . time , money and energy has thus been wasted because of the anti-social behaviour of a group of irresponsible youths . quite often scout huts are the targets of those bent on wrecking . unoccupied buildings have been damaged and fittings have been removed from parked cars . farmers at North Cray have for a long time been the victims of vandals and considerable damage has been caused to buildings , equipment and crops . those responsible obviously have too much time on their hands , but we can not accept as valid the excuse now put forward that there is nothing to do . there are many outlets for those who wish to lead constructive lives - and the majority do . many young people belong to organisations which provide interesting pastimes and hobbies ; and many engage in pursuits that will bring them benefits in the future . we do not pretend that everything in the garden is rosy . there is always room for more and improved facilities for young people to make the best use of their leisure time . it is often said that more is being done for youth to-day than at any other time . that may be true , but we must deal with the situation as it exists to-day . there is the problem of this minority of young people who seem unable to fit themselves into the modern scheme of things . we must help them , but we must also take a firm line . their actions may be the result of frustration , but there can be no more frustrated people than those who have suffered at their hands . hooliganism in any shape or form must be stamped out , and the public can help by reporting anything suspicious to the police . commentary . forty years of achievement . it is now 40 years since four ex-service organisations amalgamated to form the British legion to call with one voice for justice for the men and women who had served their country and , being demobilised , were in distress and need . in those 40 years the legion has achieved much and deserves the salute and congratulations of the rest of the country . financed by the money collected on poppy day , the legion &apos;s only general appeal to the public , it has given immediate and long term aid to hundreds of thousands of ex-service men and women , their families and dependents . it maintains four convalescent and four country homes , the latter giving permanent homes to 230 elderly or permanently incapacitated ex-service men . it provides employment for war disabled in its factories and industries and , through the disabled men &apos;s industries , to home-bound disabled . it also provides work and homes for tubercular ex-service men at Preston Hall , near Maidstone , where the legion pioneered the treatment , training and rehabilitation of these men . the legion has contributed largely to the solution of an urgent post world war 2 problem with its house purchase scheme . in 13 years it has helped 19,000 families to buy their own homes . through the 5,000 services committees throughout the country temporary and immediate relief is given ; aid in sickness and in finding jobs ; old and lonely people visited and holidays arranged for severely disabled . 