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1935]
OVERCROWDING SURVEY.
Part I. of the Housing Act, 1935, placed the duty on every local authority to
cause an inspection of their district to be made with a view to ascertaining what
dwelling houses therein were overcrowded according to a standard specified in the
Act, and to submit to the County Council a report showing the result of the inspection
and the number of new houses required in order to abate overcrowding- in their
district. A letter from the London County Council addressed to the Town Clerk
indicated the manner in which the overcrowding- survey should be carried out, and
intimated that the work should be commenced on the 1st November, 1935. The
employment of additional staff was approved and the Superintendent of the Public
Health Department authorised to engage 30 enumerators at a wage of £3 per
week for five weeks, 16 survey assistants at a wage of £3 5s. Od. per week
for eight weeks, and 6 clerical assistants at a wage of £3 per week for ten weeks.
The clerical assistants commenced duty on the 28th October, and prepared prescribed
forms for the subsequent use of the enumerators and survey assistants.
On the 1st November the enumerators commenced the systematic visitation of the
dwelling houses, and were followed by the survey assistants on the 7th November,
who were engaged to measure up the rooms occupied in doubtful overcrowded
premises. By the 6th December the work of the enumerators was completed, and
44,390 structurally separate dwelling houses had been visited. Of this number
12,886 were reported as doubtful overcrowded cases, and of these, 5,231 found to
be actually overcrowded. The completion of the survey was effected in the early
part of 1936, and will be dealt with in that year's Report.