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89
1.—The evils of the housing problem in St. Pancras depend largely on
the lack of a sufficient number of dwellings affording adequate
accommodation. It is estimated that there are some 25,000 one and
two room dwellings in tenement houses, usually unprovided with
suitable sanitary and other offices. It is hardly possible, in the case
of many of the dwellings, to make them really fit for such occupation
by reasonable alterations to the houses. It must, therefore,
be recognised, although dirt and dilapidation can and ought to be
remedied, that the inspection of these tenement houses is not likely
to result in their being made into adequate dwellings.
There is an analogous difficulty in the case of many damp and
otherwise insanitary basements, where it is practically impossible to
make them dry and wholesome without incurring very great expense.
2.—The present urgent demand for dwellings makes it almost impossible
to enforce closing orders on houses and underground dwellings
which are obviously unfit for habitation ; there being no houses to
receive the families who would be thereby dishoused.
3.—The very high cost of building work and repairs at the present time
makes it difficult for owners to carry out housing improvements.
Some of the matters which should receive attention if the house-to-house
inspection is undertaken have already been referred to in this report. It will
be convenient to set them out below:—
(1) A carefnl record of the result of the inspection of every house should
be made, preferably on a card index system.
(2) A separate register should be prepared of houses which call for regular
periodical re-inspection.
(3) A record should be made of all underground rooms, distinguishing
those which cannot legally be used as sleeping places.
(4) In addition to serving notice for defects which can be dealt with under
present powers, the powers of the Council under the proposed
tenement house bye-laws and under Section 28 of the 1919 Housing
Act, should be brought into operation where necessary. The latter
will involve a great deal of administrative work in connection with the
preparation of schedules of repairs and the following up of the
procedure of the Act, includ ing the execution of work by the Council
in default of the owners. In regard to the tenement house bye-laws
it is desirable that the occupiers should be required to fulfil their
responsibility as well as the landlords.
I am of opinion that a routine inspection of dwelling-houses on these lines
ought to be undertaken. So long as the existing houses continue to be
neglected thev will obviously become less and less fit for habitation, and this
must inevitably lead to a reduction in the number of available dwellings in
spite of the efforts which are being put forward in the direction of the building
of new houses. The care of the old houses is at least as important as the
provision of new houses,