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62
HOUSING.
Recent housing legislation is contained in the Housing and Town
Planning Act, 1919, and the Housing (Additional Powers) Act.
By these Acts Local Authorities now find themselves under compulsion
to make a complete survey of the housing accommodation of
their districts, which will bring to light not only the number of new
houses which are needed, but the number and condition of the old
houses which, though still in habitation, have fallen below modern
standards of decency and comfort. The Acts largely increase the
powers and duties of the Local Authority to " tune up " the existing
property in its district. It may make by-laws in respect of overcrowding,
sanitary accommodation, water supply, and all other matters
affecting the convenience, comfort and safety of the different tenements
into which a single house has been divided, and may restore a neglected
property at the expense of the owner. It is given the power, further,
in a proper case to advance money to the owner of a property who is
unable for want of means to put it into repair.
It has been said that the difficulty about housing is probably greater
in London than in any place in the world, due to the magnitude and
complexity of the vast province of houses, and to the freedom from all
control with which the older parts of it were built. Deptford may be
considered a good sample amongst the Metropolitan Boroughs, but it
cannot be denied that the general conditions stated above prevail even
in this borough, and that much remains to be done by the new Medical
Officer of Health and his increased staff of medical assistants. Your
Public Health Committee, zealous from the first, has now become
acquainted with the more complex details of the Department, and I am
sure it only remains for the Medical Officer to put forward a clearly
defined and definite plan of campaign in order to achieve the greatest
benefit to the borough on the question of Housing.
For years past it has been the practice of the Committee to insist
upon at least 3,500 “house-to-house” inspections per annum, so that
the whole of. the borough is inspected once in five years, apart from
general inspections.
Amongst the archives of the Ministry of Health is a map showing
that, in my opinion, a large portion of Deptford, including the whole of
the East Ward, needs various forms of treatment, either of reconstruction,
improvement or demolition. I hope the day will not be far
distant when the schemes will be put into operation.