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68
Licensing of Seamen s Lodging-Houses.
The only licensed seamen's lodging house in the county is the New German Sailors' Home, situate
in Rich-street, West India Dock-road. This house accommodates 64 seamen lodgers.
The Council has no power to compel keepers to apply for a licence, although it has power to grant
licences on application by the keepers of such houses. The Council has been in communication with the
Board of Trade as to the desirableness of an Order being issued rendering obligatory the annual licensing
of seamen's lodging-houses, and it is expected that such an order will be made during the coming year.
Houses let in Lodgings.
The power vested in sanitary authorities by section 94 of the Public Health Act for the regulation
of houses let in lodgings is one of the most valuable of the powers conferred by that Act for maintaining
the habitations of poor persons in wholesome condition. Upon the efficiency with which the by-laws
made under that section are enforced depends in large degree the freedom of these houses from
conditions of dirt and overcrowding. Experience of this administration increasingly shows its value,
and indeed, in all areas in which the poor reside, its absolute necessity. In the following table will
be found a statement of the number of houses in the several districts made subject to by-laws under
this provision and, for a number of districts, the extent of supervision exercised over these houses so
far as this can be judged by the number of inspections. It will be seen that the extent to which these
houses are regulated in the several districts varies greatly, more so indeed, than can be explained
by the differences in the character of the population, and, further, that the frequency of their
inspection also varies, no information of the number of such inspections being forthcoming in respect
of, some districts. These facts undoubtedly invite inquiry as to the efficiency of this branch of
administration in the several sanitarv areas.
In my last report the position of the several sanitary authorities was stated in respect of amendment
of the by-laws for houses let in lodgings consequent upon decisions of the High Court in 1904
in the cases of Stiles v. Galinski, and Nokes and Nokes v. the Mayor, Aldermen, and Councillors of
Islington. There has since been no change in that position.
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