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only, and no through light or ventilation. The lower rooms are only
ft. in height, but the upper rooms are more lofty. The water-closets
and wash-houses—one for each house—are in the court abutting on the
front walls of the houses, and very close to the windows of the lower
rooms. Owing to the neglect and carelessness of the tenants, the w.c.'s
are frequently choked and overflowing. The house on the South side
of the court is a two-roomed building, also without through light or
ventilation, the w.c. being inside the house and without any window
opening to the external air. The 6 houses on the East side of the
court are also one-storeyed and two-roomed, but they have small back
yards, and are not back-to-back with other buildings, consequently they
have a certain amount of through ventilation. These houses are not
included in the closing order.
The houses scheduled for closure are old, worn out, and dilapidated.
The walls are damp, the roofs defective, and the woodwork and plaster
rotten. The rooms are dirty and verminous. Owing to the dilapidations
and defective structural conditions, it is impossible to put the houses
into a proper state of tenantable repair, that will be of anything but a
very temporary character. The lease of the property has 9 years to
run, expiring in 1914. The rents are 6s. per cottage per week, or 3s.
for a single room, some of the houses being occupied by two families.
After the houses were closed, they were demolished by the owner.