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191
[1904
Queensland Road Area.—In pursuance of the instructions of the
Public Health Committee of the 22nd February, 1904, an inspection was
made of the Queensland Road area, which comprises Queensland Road,
Albert Place, Victoria Place, Emily Place and Queen's Square. The work
was entrusted to Inspectors Bacon, Agar and Bridel, who carried it on continuously,
as far as their other duties enabled them, until its completion.
The area, which is a comparatively small one, contains altogether only
130 houses, viz., 76 in Queensland Road, 17 in Victoria Place, 18 in Albert
Place, 7 in Emily Place, and 12 in Queen's Square. The result of the
inspection, which is fully set out in the table attached to the Inspector's
report, clearly demonstrates that there was very little legal overcrowding, by
which is meant overcrowding as defined in the by-laws relating to "houses let
in lodgings or occupied by members of more than one family." These specify
that a room occupied as a sleeping room must provide 300 cubic feet air space
for each person exceeding ten years of age and 150 for each person not exceeding
that age. Also, that a room that is not used exclusively for a sleeping
apartment must provide 400 cubic feet of air space for each person above ten
years of age and 200 cubic feet for each person under that age. Altogether
only 10 tenements were proved to be overcrowded, namely 6 in Queensland
Road, 2 in Emily Place, and 2 in Queen's Square. The Medical Officer of
Health is not surprised at the fact because it has long been his opinion that
overcrowding does not exist in Islington to nearly the extent that it does in
other districts where foreigners congregate. It must not be forgotten that for
many years past steady and persistent efforts have been made by the sanitary
staff to prevent it, and also to require w.c. accommodation for every twelve
persons in every house (due regard being had to the number of mere infants),
and the result has been that it is only the worst class of landlords who
now permit "legal" overcrowding. It is not to be understood from these
remarks that houses that are occupied to their full "legal" limits are desirable
residences, for that is not so. Indeed such a state of affairs would greatly
jeopardize the health of the community, and such premises should be kept under
continuous observation, and, therefore, should be registered, whereby
extreme crowding will be prevented.
Out of the 130 houses in this area 98 are let in lodgings and 32 are
occupied by only one family.
In the several streets comprising this area the following houses were not
on the register at the time of the inspection although they have since been
added to it.