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161
Coventry Cross Place—"Black Beetle Alley."
For several years past attention had been given to the sanitary
condition of five small dwelling houses, four three-roomed and one tworoomed
house, of the back-to-back and no through ventilation kind, respectively,
which comprised a small block, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, Coventry
Cross Place, colloquially known as "Black Beetle Alley." In December,
1906, proceedings were about to be taken for the closing of No. 4 (the tworoomed
premises) which had fallen into a bad state of repair, but the
owner closed this house and later on demolished it and cleared the site.
Proceedings, no doubt, would have been instituted under the Housing of
the Working Classes Act for closing the other four houses, had the owner
not closed them. The houses in question were very old, decayed, worn
out and were pulled down and site cleared.
Amendment of the Definition of Owner.
Difficulties having been experienced in taking proceedings under the
Housing of the Working Classes Acts, by reason of inability to ascertain
the name and address of the "owner" of the property affected (i.e., the
person having not less than 21 years' unexpired interest in the premises),
the Public Health and Housing Committee directed a communication be
addressed to the President of the Local Government Board suggesting
that the Housing and Town Planning Bill then before a Parliamentary
Committee should be amended by the introduction of a clause on similar
lines to those of Section 116 (3) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891,
to the effect that any person who collects the rents of, or is interested
financially or otherwise in any premises, when requested by or on behalf
of the Sanitary Authority to state the name and address of the owner of
the premises or of any person interested financially or otherwise in such
premises, who refuses or wilfully omits to disclose, or wilfully mis-states
the same shall be liable to a penalty.
The Council approved the action of the Committee.
See Housing, Town Planning, &c., Act, 1909, Section 49 (2),
amendment of definitions for purpose of Part II. of the principal Act.
Conference on Town Planning.
The Garden Cities and Town Planning Association convened a
Conference on Town Planning and its practical application, held at the