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25
Town Clerk's Office,
Town Hall, Bethnal Green, E.
16th June, 1911.
Dear Sir,
Your letter of the 14th instant, relating to the
number of cases of overcrowding that are alleged to
exist in the neighbourhood of Wolverley Street School,
has been submitted to the Council and carefully considered
by the Public Health Committee. The Public
Health Committee are fully sensible of the importance
of dealing effectually with cases of overcrowding and
in order to do so they are continually serving notices
in respect of the worst cases and moving the families
concerned.,
Unfortunately this action does not result in much
permanent improvement. It is an ascertained fact
that irregular employment and want of employment
are the direct causes of an almost chronic state of
poverty which lead to certain overcrowding. With
regard to the alleged overcrowding in the vicinity of
the Wolverley Street School, I understand there is no
evidence that there are cases in which the Council
could have taken action and have not done sc. The
Council, as you know, are restricted in their powers
and cannot take effective action in a matter beyond
their jurisdiction, in the particular area of Wolverley
Street School the size of many of the single rooms
separately let is of greater cubic capacity than the total
area of two smaller rooms in other areas.
There may be a difference of opinion on the subject
of high rents, and the relation of such rents to
wilful and deliberate overcrowding of rooms of houses
in the district.