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158
It appears to the Council that the bye-laws which have been
made by the Councils of the several Metropolitan Boroughs under
the provisions of Section 94 of the Public Health (London) Act,
1891, do not confer upon sanitary authorities adequate power for
dealing with rooms of the above description. It is stated also that
considerable difficulty is experienced in putting into operation the
provisions of Part IV. of the London County Council (Genera'
Powers) Act, 1904, as to the destruction of filthy or unwholesome
articles, owing to the frequency with which disputes as to the
amount of compensation for articles destroyed arise.
The existence of these circumstances has led the Council to
consider whether in the interest of public health, further legislation
should be sought in respect of furnished rooms so let, to assure
that they should be maintained with due regard to sanitation. It
appears to the Council to be most desirable that greater supervision
and control than exists at present should be exercised over this
class of house, which is nearly related in character to the common
lodging house, both in respect of the class of house and the social
condition of the inmates, and, in fact, the demand for lodgings of
this character exists, in the main, in localities where common
lodging houses are situated, the lodging house and the furnished
rooms not infrequently being owned by the same persons.
The Council thinks that more effective control would be more
ensured if persons letting such rooms were required to obtain an
annual license, to be granted after consideration of the fitness of
the applicant and the structure and cleanliness of the premises.
Such licenses would be granted by the Council in the same manner
as is done with regard to common lodging houses.
An alternative means of securing adequate supervision would
be by investing the local sanitary authority with full power to
inspect and enforce a certain standard of requirements, authority
being given to the Council, with the consent of the Local Government
Board, in each case to act in default of action by the local
sanitary authority.
The Council would be glad if the Metropolitan Borough
Councils would assist it in its deliberations by furnishing their
views as to the means, by licensing or otherwise, by which the
sanitary and moral condition of the inmates of these houses could
be improved. The Council has no doubt but that this question
has already been before the local sanitary authorities, and that