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24
Section III.
THE HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES.
Sir Thomas More Buildings.
Winchester and Dacre Houses were opened respectively for occupation
on the 16th January and the 6th February, 1905, Kingsley, Burleigh,
and Cadogan Houses having been opened in November and
December, 1904.
The houses were fully occupied by the end of February, the total
number of persons, excluding staff, being 798, of whom 220, or 27'5
per cent., were children under the age of 10 years. The present density
of population is about 500 persons per acre ; and there is an average of
1.4 persons per room, the average amongst working class families in
Chelsea being 15 to 16 persons per room.
Out of the total number of 259 tenants or heads of families, 150, or
58 per cent., previously resided in the Borough, when their applications
for tenancies were made. Of the remainder, 25, or 10 per cent., although
actually non-resident, were working in Chelsea, so that 175, or 68 per cent.,
of the total number of tenants were connected with the Borough, either
by residence, work, or both combined, before they became the Borough
Council's tenants. Out of the total number of tenants or heads of
families, 196, or 76 per cent., were married on commencing their
tenancies.
The average weekly earnings of the tenants, as computed from
their application forms, are £1 10s. 10d.; the average weekly earnings
of the 37 one-room tenants being 18s. 9d, of the 128 tenants of two
rooms £1 10s., and of the 94 tenants of three rooms £1 16s. 10d. The
tenants of one and two roomed tenements, therefore, each pay on an
average 21 per cent. of their weekly earnings in rent, the tenants of the
three-roomed tenements paying 24 per cent.

The gross annual rental of the Buildings should produce £4,690 on
the rents now being charged, after deducting the rents of the rooms in
the Buildings occupied by the Superintendent and the two Porters.