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94
Gipsy
Vans.
February 19th, 1895.
At this Meeting it was reported that having
personally inspected the whole of the vans used for
human habitation which are situated upon various plots of land
in the parish, the Chief Inspector found that there were
at this time eight plots used for the purpose. There were 68
vans, 46 of which were over-crowded, many of them seriously
as the following instances will shew.
The Bye-laws in force regulating these structures are made
under the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1885, and
require 150 cubic feet of free air space for an adult and 75 cubic
feet for every child under 12 years. The Bye-laws also
contain clauses which deal with the provision of closet and
ashpit accommodation and water supply. The vans must also
be watertight, properly ventilated and kept thoroughly cleansed.
Several of the vans were found to be in a filthy condition, not
watertight and without ventilation.
It was also found necessary to call upon the proprietors of
ground in three instances to provide increased water-closet
accommodation.
The total population dwelling in these 68 vans was 223
persons made up as follows:—
78 Male persons over 12 years of age
65 Female ,, „ ,, ,, ,,
31 Male „ under „ „ „ „
49 Female ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,,
The Sanitary Committee directed notices to be served in all
cases where there was a deficiency of over 50 cubic feet of free
air space and also to provide water closet accommodation for
each sex one for every twenty persons or proportion of twenty.
The effect of this action was to cause the proprietors of the vans
which were the more seriously overcrowded to leave the parish
and in other cases the vans were disposed of and rooms in houses