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39
ground that the distance of the County Council's Estates from their
work is too great. Others have become attached to the district and will
not contemplate forsaking existing interests and associations. Owing
to the extreme difficulty of finding alternative accommodation it has
not been found possible to deal with more than a few cases of overcrowding
during the year. Whenever possible, arrangements are made with the
London County Council for the provision of a house for the overcrowded
family. Twenty-two such families obtained accommodation on the
Council's Estates during the year. Further, when vacant tenements
become available in the Borough Council's Dwellings, preferential treatment
is as far as possible given to cases of overcrowding. With a view to
preventing a recurrence of overcrowding in premises which are being
vacated because of their overcrowded condition, a cautionary letter is
always sent to the landlord concerned, warning him that action will be
taken against him in the event of a recurrence of overcrowded conditions
in the premises.
Fitness of Houses. The general standard of housing in the borough
is satisfactory. In a portion of the western district the houses are old,
worn out and require constant repairs and renovations. This area,
comprising World's End Passage and courts abutting thereon, about
three-quarters of an acre in extent, was during the year the subject of an
official representation under the Housing Act, 1925, with a view to an
Improvement Scheme. A larger area in the north-western district contains
many houses of similar character. This area is already scheduled
for reconstruction, but nothing has yet been done, owing to conditions
prevailing in the building trade and the operation of the Rent Restriction
Acts.
One of the most unsatisfactory features in this, as in other boroughs,
is the presence of a large number of houses let in lodgings. These houses
were not constructed for the purpose to which they are now put. The
use of staircases, washhouses, yards, waterclosets, ashbins, etc., in
common leads to misuse and neglect, and the general environment is not
prone to the cultivation of habits of self-respect, morality or health.
Many such houses are without adequate provision for the cooking or
storage of food, and housework is carried on at great inconvenience.
While the great majority of these houses are structurally sound, a
number of them are old, worn out and below the modern standards of
sanitation and convenience. It is probable that only a minority of the
tenants would be able to pay economic rents for alternative accommodation,
having regard to the rents that require to be fixed for new dwellings
owing to the greatly increased cost of land and construction during recent
years.
Another problem is caused by certain old people, usually women.
Many of these live alone in a single room with no one to look after them.
Frequently they rely almost entirely on the Old Age Pension for sustenance.
Gradually growing feebler with the passage of time, they
eventually become unable properly to care for themselves or their homes.
Although every means of persuasion is tried, these cases usually decline
to enter a Poor Law Institution and the condition often persists for a