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122
that there is an enormous amount of overcrowding still
to he dealt with.
For the reason that in the majority of cases there
is no alternative accommodation within the economic
reach of the tenants, cases of overcrowding have not
been followed up with the same rigorous application
of the law as is the practice with other sanitary nuisances.
Nevertheless, in the course of the year, 20
cases of overcrowding were of such an extremely bad
and distressing character that they were reported to
the Public Health Committee and action of some sort
was taken. In a few instances, where the economic
circumstances were more favourable than in the average
family, the pressure brought to bear by service of
sanitary notices was sufficient to induce the occupier
to find other and increased accommodation. In other
cases, the action taken was largely abortive.
The irony of the situation is that large numbers
of families, realising to the full the evil of their overcrowded
condition and anxious to obtain other accommodation
are unable to get such accommodation, even
when available, owing to their limited income. Accommodation
on the London County Council estates is
practically only obtainable by the better paid artisan
and the additional houses built outside the county are
only very slowly and very indirectly relieving the congestion
and benefitting the mass of low wage workers.
The houses and tenements vacated by the new London
County Council tenants provide a certain amount of new
accommodation for these workers, but as the houses and
tenements frequently become decontrolled at higher
rentals in the process the nett advantage is rather
small.
The tenements in the Borough vacated by families
admitted to London County Council estates are systematically
visited with a view, if possible, to prevent
their overcrowding. A sample 100 cases were