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working, to March 31st., 1900, there was a balance carried down of
£292 5s. 10d., available for charges for sinking fund and interest of
capital outlay. The Borough Council of Finsbury are responsible
for regular inspection and sanitary supervision. The Peabody
Buildings on the Whitecross Street Scheme site are also in like
manner under the sanitary jurisdiction of this Sanitary Authority.
C.—The properties included in the Aylesbury Place area await
demolition. In Jerusalem Court there are several condemned houses
unoccupied; the remainder are, of course, still occupied. I understand
that the delay in demolition on the part of the London County
Council is due to the fact that the Council in 1899 passed a resolution
to the effect that they would not displace persons in condemned
insanitary areas until there was house accommodation ready for
them. In this particular case the authorities are waiting for such
accommodation to be provided on the site of Reid's Brewery in the
Clerkenwell Road (the Brewery Company having removed their
business into the country). In 1899 the County Council procured
this Reid's Brewery site for £200,000, to be cleared by the vendors.
Possession was obtained in May, 1900, and plans for building are in
course of execution. I understand that the buildings will contain
468 tenements, providing for 2,130, at an estimated total cost of
£131,500.
D.—Four out of these ten areas, namely, Garden Row, Roby
Street, Baltic Street and Honduras Street, are in the hands of the
London County Council. All the persons displaced are required to
be rehoused. The scheme also provides for the widening of Central
Street where the Garden Row area abuts upon it. The other six
areas have been left by the London County Council to be dealt with
by the Local Authority, that is, the Metropolitan Borough of
Finsbury.
Whilst it is impossible for me to accept responsibility for "representations"
made by one of my predecessors, I may say, speaking
generally, that I agree in the main with Dr. Yarrow that these six
properties are insanitary and require early attention. The first step
should be a thorough re-examination of each area, followed by a
careful consideration of the best means to adopt in each case. It