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64
have been unable to pay the slightly increased rents necessary to make
the new buildings self-supporting, or they greatly dislike the regulations
and the control and limitation of overcrowding exercised by a selfrespecting
public authority. Such persons infinitely prefer to live in
their narrow streets of squalid houses. For this reason I believe it is
true that the displaced families occupy the older houses, somewhat
better than those cleared away, vacated by families slightly better off,
who do prefer the nice new and clean buildings just erected. In this
way there is a general move upwards, but the theory I find is only
partly true because the situation is still complicated by fresh overcrowding.
The London County Council, since the passing of the Housing Act,
1919, have begun to make a great effort to relieve the housing problem.
Having examined the situation they have come to the conclusion that
something like 200,000 persons in the County are living in grossly
overcrowded habitations, frequently so small and dilapidated that they
require rebuilding. The scheme now adopted by the London County
Council, by which Deptford should benefit, provides for the erection
within five years of 29,000 new houses to lodge 145,000 persons, round
the outskirts, and also for the clearance of a number of the most insanitary
and crowded areas in the interior regions with a population of
some 40,000, and the rebuilding to a large extent on their sites. It is
to be hoped that the East Ward of this borough is included in this
scheme.
Reconstruction Scheme.
During the year 1919, your Medical Officer has reported on several
areas in the East, North and South-East Wards for the purposes of
early action,and lias definitely represented to the Council for demolition —
the Benmore Street area as being an insanitary site of 49 houses
with a population of 300 persons, viz., 215 adults and 85 children under
10 years of age. At the time of representation there were 23 cases of
Tuberculosis in the 49 houses.
Improvement Scheme.
Speedwell Street area —this includes the east side of Speedwell
Street, the north side of Comet Street as far east as the footpath running
from Comet Street to Douglas Street. The whole of this site requires
re-arrangement, insanitary houses demolished and new houses built on
the re-arranged land. There is a fair amount of vacant land on this
site and the whole is ripe for immediate action, and if done piecemeal
no great number of persons need be displaced.