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141
All these dwelling-houses have been closed in order to make
room for business premises or street widening. This table
does not include any closures for insanitary reasons. Most of
the closures, it will be seen, occur in the southern portion of
the Borough contiguous to the City of London. Only 5 houses
(or 0 per cent, of the total closures) have taken place in the
northern part of the district. No evidence could be more
complete of the change which is proceeding year by year in the
character of the Borough than the facts disclosed in these figures.

Last year 161 houses were closed, and 1,349 persons displaced ;
in 1902, 140 houses were closed and 839 persons were dishoused
; the total for the three years is therefore 460 houses and
3,315 persons. It is unnecessary to add that there are considerable
changes taking place in the use of house property, e.g.
private dwelling-houses being transformed into business premises
without closure or demolition of houses, and which are not
included in the above returns.
Lastly, we have endeavoured to trace the destination of the
removals in the closed properties under our jurisdiction, that is
to say, the removals from the areas A, C, E, F and G, and from
the houses closed for street improvements, &c., with the result that
it is found about half the persons displaced leave the district, the other
half finding accommodation elsewhere in the Borough. A record is
kept of the destination of displaced persons as far as possible.