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122
It may be mentioned that in October, 1885, the Sanitary
Committee settled and recommended a list of 152 streets in
the order in which it appeared to them desirable that the said
streets should be considered for registration purposes. The
list was reported to and adopted by your Vestry ; but it still
remains to give effect to the recommendation in a very large
proportion of the streets.
OVERCROWDING.
It is a common practice with people having large families
to conceal the number of their children until after entering
into possession of their lodging—usually a single room ; and
then, should it be desired to get rid of them, all the tedious
processes, by notices, police-court proceedings, &c., have to be
gone through, these occupying many (at least six) weeks,
during which time the unfortunate landlord may not receive
any rent on peril of failure to obtain an ejectment order. In
regard to registered houses, the " keeper" is equally liable
with the " lodger" for the offence of overcrowding, and as I
pointed out in the ninth report for 1896 (August loth,
page 111), it would be well if a bye-law were made requiring
him, under penalty, to report any case of overcrowding to the
Sanitary Authority. On consideration of the report your
Vestry decided to apply to the Local Government Board for
sanction to a bye-law requiring the keeper of a registered
house to report overcrowding, as follows :—
" It any lodger in a registered house cause or suffer any room under his
control to be occupied by a greater number of persons than is allowed by this byelaw,
it shall be the duty of the keeper of the registered house, upon his becoming
aware of the fact, to notify such fact to the Medical Officer."
The Local Government Board's views on the subject of
this proposed bye-law have not yet been received.