View report page

186
that the want of effective control over common lodging-houses
was a serious defect in the existing law, and urging the desirability
of representations being made to the Home Secretary
with a view to the introduction of a Bill consolidating, and
transferring to the local authorities, the administration of the
law relating to common lodging-houses, giving such authorities
power to licence annually, with the consequent right to withhold
any license in the event of mismanagement or other sufficient
reason. These views were endorsed by your Vestry, and a
communication to this effect was made to the Home Secretary,
and to the Vestry of St. Margaret and St. John, and to the
other sanitary authorities of the metropolis. The Home
Secretary, in due course, stated that he had referred the communication
to the Local Government Board, as he was of
opinion that the question was one which should be dealt with
by the Board. Nothing further appears to have been done in the
matter.
THE PAVING OF YARDS.
During the year a good many yards were paved more or
less satisfactorily. It would be well if work of this sort could
be carried out systematically throughout the parish ; but in
present circumstances it is impracticable. Individual cases
only can be dealt with as they arise, out of casual or special
inspections, or in the case of house-to-house inspections, of
which by far too few are made. The Special Committee on
" Notting-dale," in their report (June 18th, 1896), referring to
the state of the yards in the Special Area, stated that they
were "saturated with human ordure and filth of every description."
The Committee were of opinion " that these yards
should be asphalted or paved," and the first of their recomdations,
all of which were approved by your Vestry, was to the
foilowing effect:—
" That it be referred to the Works and Sanitary Committee to have notices
served upon the owners or occupiers of the houses in the several
streets .... requiring them to asphalte, 01 pave with impervious
material, the yards, in the rear of such houses, which are not in proper
condition."