London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Poplar 1905

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar, Metropolitan Borough]

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147
the box of corrugated iron and match-lining in which she slept
was only 8 ft. 6 in. by 4 ft. 6 in., and was in use before the
taking of the census, and, therefore, was enumerated as a room,
grave discredit is thereby thrown upon the alleged decrease of
crowding in London during the ten years ending in 1901; and
seeing that at the inquest on the case in question, it was clearly
shown that the standard of two persons to a room, as constituting
non-crowding, is an utterly false basis upon which to
compute the measure of overcrowding, this Conference urges
that the Registrar-General shall be empowered to issue to the
enumerators of the next census a proper definition of a room.
3. That the reckless and irresponsible demolition, by the
Government and private individuals and syndicates, of houses
occupied by the workers, calls for serious attention at the hands
of Parliament, and this Conference urges the introduction of a
short measure extending the provisions of the Housing of the
Working Classes Act, 1903 (whereby railway companies taking
houses occupied by more than thirty persons are obliged to
re-house), to cover such cases as that of Lord Cadogan and his
Estates Development Company at Chelsea.
4. That this Conference desires to impress upon Parliament
and administrative bodies the urgent necessity for improved
means of transit and locomotion for London, and urges that
any recommendations which may be made by the Royal Commission
on locomotion and transport to re-organise the existing
means of communication, and to construct new main roads and
light and other railways and other means of rapid transit in the
metropolis and surrounding districts should be put into operation
with all possible despatch.
K 2