View report page

was required, proceeded to make one. This is officially known as " The London (Tabard Street,
Grotto Place, and Crosby Row) Improvement Scheme, 1910," and was approved formally by the
Local Government Board in March, 1912, as a result of a public inquiry held in the Southwark
Town Hall in April, 1912.
Part of Tabard Street is already being pulled down, but the London County Council at the
time of writing (June, 1912) have not actually acquired any of the property of Crosby Row.
Housing and Town Planning, &c., Act, 1909.
Considerable advantage was taken of the provisions of this Act for dealing with insanitary
property. Closing orders under Section 17 were served during the year on the owners of fortythree
houses, viz , 1.20, Bell Court; 1.9, Medley Place; 137, Bermondsey Street; and 59, 60, 61,
62, 63, 64, 65, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75 and 78, Snowsfields, and orders under Section 15 requiring certain
work to be done to render the houses reasonably fit for human habitation were served on the owners
of six houses, viz., 2, 3 and 4, Vine Street, and 1, 2 and 3, Fort Passage.
Appeals to the Local Government Board against the closing orders were made in the cases
of Medley Place, Bell Court, and Snowsfields, but in only one of these, viz., Bell Court, was a
Local Government Board inquiry held. In the cases of Medley Place, and 75 and 78, Snowsfields,
the appeals were for various reasons withdrawn, while as regards Bell Court the Board upheld the
Council's action. The remaining houses in Snowsfields are at present under consideration.
Nos. 75 and 78, Snowsfields, and 187, Bermondsey Street, were rendered fit human
habitation, and the closing orders were subsequently removed. The 24 houses in St. Mary's Place
and St. Mary church Street, which had been closed in 1910, were in hand during 1911, but the
orders were not determined till 1912.
In the case of the six houses dealt with under Section 15, the requirements of the Council
were promptly complied with.
Demolition orders were served on the owners of 16 and 18, Fulford Street, and they were
pulled down in the course of the year. Demolition orders were also served on the owners of Bell
Court and Medley Place, but they are still standing, as the owners asked for an extension of time
before pulling them down.
It is difficult yet to express an opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of these sections
of the Act, as they are still on their trial, but so for in Bermondsey they have proved useful.
The procedure is very complicated and admits of great delays before the final result can be
recorded.
Bacteriological Laboratory.
The total number of specimens examined in 1911 was 843, compared with 708 in 1910, and
596 in 1909.
Results of Examination.
Nature of Specimen.
Total Examinations.
Positive.
Negative.
1910.
1911.
1911.
1910.
1910.
1911.
7
14
350
260
Diphtheria (specimens taken by Medical
Officer of Health)
336
143
253
122
176
27
33
95
Ditto (taken by general practitioners)
Diphtheria (total specimens taken)
34
526
382
47
57
2
2
348
479
Phthisis
239
291
46
193
234
Enteric
24
14
4
20
12
63
12
63
10
Various
...
843
108
735
Total specimens taken
708
84
624
Houses Let in Lodgings.
In 1910 there were 227 "houses let in lodgings or occupied by members of more than one
family" on the Register. Four were added during 1911, making a total of 231. These were
visited quarterly in accordance with the instructions of the Public Health Committee.
One hundred and seventy-nine notices were served, 10 of these being for overcrowding.
The following is a list of registered houses let in lodgings:—
5, Aberdour Street
56, Arnolds Place
100 Abbey Street
11 „
82, Abbey Street
10, Alice Street
36, Barnham Street
13 „
86 „
14 „
95 „
6, Bermondsey Square
7 „
17 „
98 „
D
27