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80. The Inspectors found several cases in which the
County Council Bye-Laws for new houses were not carried out,
the principal contraventions being cheap, improper forms of
traps, no windows in w.c.'s, and defective joints of the house
ventilating shafts.
I have pointed out in previous reports the great desirability
of these bye-laws being enforced, when the houses are being
built.
81. Only 193 houses were tested with the smoke test
compared with 408 in the previous year. As indicating fewer
defective drains found this is satisfactory.
82. 39 defective combined drains were examined, compared
with 31 in 1896.
83. 38 cases of overcrowding were found, compared with
21 last year. 14 of these I inspected personally. The great
increase this year is remarkable. There is no doubt that
considerable difficulty is found by people with families in
getting house accommodation, owing to the building of houses
not keeping pace with the increase of population. There is a
crying need for cheaper house accommodation. In several
cases, even when overcrowding was not marked, I found cases
of indecency in sleeping arrangements. Thus in one case a
daughter over 20 slept in the same bedroom as her parents,
and in two or three other cases grown up sons slept in the
same room as their widowed mother.
The cases of overcrowding were mostly remedied by rearrangement
of sleeping accommodation. In others notices