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made the Demolition Order. Although the Council's solicitor pointed out to the judge that the
expenditure which the owner was incurring in the execution of the works was unreasonable, having
regard to the type and situation of the house, the judge held that he was bound to allow the owner
to carry out such works as he wished, and therefore adjourned the hearing to enable the owner to
complete the work and for the Council to inspect same. At the adjourned hearing the Council
admitted that the owner had placed the house in a state fit for human habitation and the Demolition
Order was therefore quashed, three guineas costs being awarded to the Council. It appears a moot
point as to whether the Local Authority can prevent the execution of works before the hearing of an
Appeal in cases of this description, as once an owner has shown his willingness to expend money on a
house, a judge is unlikely to confirm a Demolition Order, no matter how unreasonable the expenditure
may be.
4.—Overcrowding. A survey of all overcrowded cases on the Register was carried out towards
the end of the year, and the following is a summary of the position found:—

* Sixteen of these cases were already living in the Dwellings and were transferred to larger flats.
SECTION 51—HOUSING ACT, 1936
The owner of a row of houses in the Borough applied to the Council for certificates under the
above-named Section and after consideration of the specification submitted by him the Council, on
my recommendation, granted a certificate of fitness for ten years.
ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE TO TENANTS IN COUNCIL FLATS
As I mentioned last year, the Council appointed to my Department a full-time Housing Welfare
Adviser, who took over the experimental work that Miss Sexton, the woman sanitary inspector, had
been performing in connection with the visiting of Council tenants. The full-time officer assumed
the duty of visiting applicants from clearance areas before their accommodation in Council flats,
the preparation of reports on the cases to the Lettings Sub-Committee of the Housing Committee,
and the working out of suitable rent rebates in necessitous cases. She also, with the active co-operation
of the Housing Committee, arranged for the furnishing of show flats with furniture, etc., suitable to
the needs of the tenants to be rehoused and of a price within their means. It often happens that
a family rehoused from a clearance area, in an endeavour to make a new start, furnish their new
abode on the hire-purchase system with dire results both to the comfort of their homes and their
pockets.