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56
sleeping purposes may be carried into effect, and the order made.
Then if the sleeping arrangement in the two rooms is reversed the
complete procedure must be traversed all over again in order to
make a closing order upon the second room. It is not surprising
therefore that the closing of underground rooms habitually used
for sleeping purposes does not proceed more rapidly.
A closing order made in respect of an entire basement when
separately let leads inevitably to a perpetual nuisance. All kinds
of rubbish tend to accumulate, affording harbourage for rats,
while the mere presence of the empty basement leads to acts of
wilful destruction and misbehaviour which accentuate the nuisance.
During the year 298 fresh applications for housing accommodation
were received in the Public Health Department (mostly from the
applicant in person), and of these 136 were sent forward to the
County Authority for attention or preferential treatment, while, in
addition, 12 applications were recommended for housing on the
Lambeth Council Estates. The remaining 150 after careful scrutiny,
could not be recommended for various reasons, viz., insufficient
income or other circumstances. Of the 148 cases referred to, 48 have
been accommodated (43 by L.C.C. and 5 by L.B.C.), and 11 refused
(by the County Authority), leaving 89 pending decision and
allocation.
The following table shows particulars of 279 out of 298 applications
received (information respecting the remaining 19 cases is
not available owing to various causes, such as application withdrawn)
:—
Housing Applications, 1934.
Number of
Persons
in Family
Number of Rooms Occupied
Total
Persons
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
2
1
-
-
-
-
3
2
1
2
1
—
—
—
8
3
2
19
22
3
—
—
138
4
9
36
15
7
1
—
272
5
6
31
8
6
2
—
265
6
1
16
10
6
—
—
198
7
3
17
7
5
1
—
231
8
1
7
12
5
—
—
200
9
1
2
2
3
—
—
72
10
1
—
3
—
—
—
40
11
—
1
—
1
—
—
22
Total Families
279
27
132
80
36
4
—
—
Total Persons
—
—
—
—
—
—
1,449