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however, that the Public Health (London) Act only
enables us to remedy such housing defects as can be
clearly proved to the satisfaction of a magistrate,
if necessary, as being nuisances. For that purpose
Section 2 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891,
merely states that a nuisance is (1) "any premises
in such a state as to be a nuisance or injurious or
dangerous to health"; (2) any accumulation of
deposit which is a nuisance or injurious or dangerous
to health ; (3) any house or part of a house so over crowded
as to be injurious or dangerous to the health of the
inmates whether or not members of the same family ;
(4) any such absence from premises of water fittings
as is a nuisance by virtue of Section 33 of the Metropolis
Management Act, 1871. The Metropolis Management
Acts enable us to deal efficiently with drainage matters,
and the London County Council (General Powers)
Acts enable effective action to be taken in regard to
vermin. There are, however, many other matters
which render the house "not in all respects reasonably
fit for human habitation" but which cannot legally
be dealt with without the use of Section 28 of the
Housing Act, 1919.
The termination of the appointment of the temporary
housing inspector in June, 1923, has resulted in a
considerable reduction of the amount of house-to-house
inspection. I am strongly of opinion that house-tohouse
inspection should be pursued in Fulham with
the greatest energy, but owing to the excessive and
varied duties imposed upon district sanitary inspectors
at the present time it is almost impossible for them
to devote more than a very limited amount of time
to house-to-house inspection. It is not merely the
original inspections and the writing up of the records
which occupy the time but the following up of any
notices which may be issued as a result of the inspection.
It would be of the greatest possible advantage to
the Borough to have one or more special housing
inspectors ; I would suggest at least two. There are
many tenants whose premises are badly in need of
repair but who are deterred, through fear of annoying
their landlord, from making complaints to the Public