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234
Finsbury. Seventy-seven per cent, of tlie whole population of the
Borough live in tenements of less than five rooms; 14.3 per cent.
of the entire population live in homes of one room, and 31.2 per
cent, of the population live in homes of two rooms. That is to
say, that 45 per cent. of the people of Finsbury live in homes of
two rooms or less, and the Borough is characterised more than any
other district in London by tenement dwellings of less than five
rooms each. Further, there are 204 blocks of "model dwellings"
containing 4,063 tenements and accommodating 17,300 persons.
These figures taken as a whole indicate conditions of what is really
overcrowding. Broadly, it may be said that nearly all homes of one
room anil most homes of two rooms are "overcrowded" in the sense
that the accommodation is not sufficient to allow of a healthy life,
either of family or of individual. Further, many homes of more
than two rooms are "overcrowded," and, therefore, in a general
way, probably not less than 40 per cent. of the entire population
of Finsbury is living under what are, in actual experience, "overcrowded
" conditions.
(3) Thirdly, whilst a fair standard of sanitation is maintained in
most of the dwelling-house property, there is a considerable
measure of what may be called "domestic insanitation." That is
to say, that though few houses in Finsbury are so conditioned,
either in themselves or in relation to other houses, as to be so
insanitary as to call for action under the Housing of the Working
Classes Acts, there are a large number of houses which do
not provide satisfactory accommodation for a healthy life. There
lias been a steady and wide-spread degeneration in dwelling-house
property. Many of the houses were built as residences for persons
of one family. The private house has now, however, become a
tenement house, and yet has not been adapted for such. The
sanitary conveniences, the water supply, the cooking arrangements,
the washing accommodation, the provision for refuse collection,
ventilation, light, &e., were all designed for one family, but now
have to serve for, perhaps, four, or six, or even eight families. The
house and its tenants have, therefore, lost caste together. The
result is uncleanliness, ill-ventilation, lack of light in certain