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38 Housing.
The matters calling for attention may be described as divisible into "major" and
"minor " defects according to the labour and material reuuired to remedv the defects.

In addition to the systematic inspections which were made throughout the vear, there
used to be a general "Annual Cleansing"—provided for by the Bye-laws—when two of
the District Inspectors were temporarily assigned to assist in tenement house inspection.
The work began in April of each year and was generally (approximately) completed by the
end of the summer vacation. Great importance was attached to this "cleansing," not only
on account of its results as regards cleanliness, and consequently health, but also for the very
useful information obtained by the survey made of population and housing conditions.
During 1914-18 this work was carried out fairly successfully during the first three years, but
no compilations were made of the data obtained from the survey.* Leaving that loss out of
consideration, another measure of the need of increased supervision is afforded by comparing
the total number of inspections made for "cleansing" purposes in the two quinquennial
periods. In 1909-13 such visits numbered 22,912 and in 1914-18, 17,409—a deficiency of just
over 24 per cent. The numbers of houses inspected were 1,445 in 1914, 1,389 in 19i5, 1,235
in 1910, and 1,05I in 1917. In 1918 the " cleansing" inspections numbered 563 only, as
compared with 4,574 in 1915. Further evidence of the incompleteness of the " cleansing" is
afforded by the numbers of cases referred to the Solicitor and of the summonses taken out—
Cases referred to the Solicitor
Summonses issued
1914
96
3
1915
103
1
1916
54
-
1917
14
4
1918
-
-
Overcrowding.—In Table 18 the numbers of cases of overcrowding dealt with each year
are set out. The figures cannot be accepted as evidence of a real improvement of housing
conditions. While the absence of men with the Services undoubtedly effected some reduction
of overcrowding the smaller numbers recorded after 1914 are undoubtedly due to the
breakdown in the arrangements for the "Annual Cleansing," when most cases of overcrowding
have been discovered in the past. Having regard to the (believed) inherent defects
in the data comment on the Table appears to be undesirable.

*The work was much impaired through inability to obtain the necessary cards, &c., arising from the
shortage of paper.