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114
ments fulfilled a pressing need at the time they were built, their
passing did not come too soon. Unfortunately the sites of many
of these hutments form land zoned for industrial purposes, so the
land could not be utilised for building new dwellings.
On the Council's Estates and in older properties improvement
works have continued to be carried out to bring these properties
up to modern standards of amenities with lavatory basins, hot water
systems and additional electric power points.
For the past few years I have been able to report a continued
fall in the number of registered applicants on the general waiting
list but this trend has not continued during 1962. 432 new registrations were made but these were counterbalanced by an almost
equal number of cancellations as a result of either being rehoused
or failure to renew the applications. The cancellation of the application where renewal is not made annually ensures that the register
is not artificially inflated by persons no longer wishing to be considered. The net result was an increase of 6 in the total number
of applicants on the Housing Register which stood at 1,647 at the
close of this year.
Mutual exchanges totalled 47, an increase which is to be expected because this means of helping tenants to solve their own housing problem is actively fostered.
The mutual exchange register is maintained in the department
and in order to keep it up-to-date and free of addresses of persons
who have lost interest in an exchange, the Housing Committee
decided to limit registration to one year, after which renewal must
be made otherwise the entry is removed from the register.
Some tenants cannot solve their difficulties by means of an
exchange, so have to be transferred where the need is urgent. 84
such transfers were carried out of which 17 were from addresses
where the person or family in occupation had at least two rooms
surplus to requirements."