View report page

71
Common Lodging-houses.
The year 1899 was the sixth year during which common lodging-houses in the county of London
have been subject to regulation by the Council. The number of houses on the register at the end of
the year was 544, providing accommodation for 28,448 persons. Fourteen of these houses were
registered for the first time in 1899. In the supervision of these houses the Council's inspectors made
'28,615 inspections, of which number 28,229 visits were made to registered and 386 visits were made to
unregistered houses. On the 31st January, 1899, the Council authorised the appointment of an
inspector to make night inspections of common lodging-houses. From the 16th May, the date when
the night inspector commenced his duties, to the end of the year, 1,162 night inspections were made.
This systematic night inspection has resulted in the institution of legal proceedings against several
keepers for overcrowding.
Preliminary notices have been served in 238 cases. Proceedings before the magistrate were
instituted in 25 cases resulting in 22 convictions, fines being inflicted amounting in the aggregate to
£155 lis. and £27 18s. costs. In one case the summons was withdrawn, and in the two remaining
cases costs only were allowed, the summonses being dismissed.
The number of cases of notifiable infectious disease reported in these houses during the year
was as follows—
Diphtheria 10 ; enteric fever 11; erysipelas 26; scarlet fever 7, or 54 in all.
The number of deaths from various causes reported in these houses during the year was 96.
The following table shows the number of common lodging-houses, the authorised number of
lodgers in such houses at the end of 1899, and the number of houses registered for the first time in
each sanitary district during the year—

* i = 1 child under 10 years of age.
In December, 1898, the attention of the Council's officers was called to the premises 9 and 10,
Stanhope-street, Strand, know as " The Harbour," and used as a shelter by the Salvation Army.