View report page

190
1902]
it, as well as the neglect of the ordinary rules of health. There are many such
houses in the Borough. There are also certain houses, occupied by from 15 to
20 people, artizans and their families, which at the present time are fairly clean,
but which, owing to the numbers living in them, are as certain, as it is possible to
be certain of anything, to degenerate, and gradually to become dirty and neglected.
There should be no hesitation in placing them on the register; they
do not require visits from the Public Health Committee to assure the Council
that they are suitable houses to be registered. The fact of their being let to
so many persons, the occupation of the tenants, and the locality in
which they are situated, would as a rule be a sufficient guarantee to the
Committee to warrant a recommendation to the Council to place them on the
register. Such registration would be better for the owners, better for the
tenants, and better for the health of the Borough.
In London there were at the close of the year 16,433 houses on the
register, or 2.9 per cent. of the total houses. In Islington the percentage was 1.4.
Inspections.—During the year 6,626 visits were paid by the inspectors
to houses already on the register, which resulted in 1,711 nuisances being
abated.

There were also nearly 500 other nuisances abated, so that on the whole
good work was accomplished. It would, however, have been considerably
greater if, unfortunately, Inspector Ward had not had so much of his time
occupied, as already stated, in performing duties under the adulteration acts.
For a full summary of the work of the Inspectors, see Table CXVI.