View report page

8
Sickness.—In January, 1928, a report was submitted to the
Public Health and Housing Committee to the effect that the Houses-letin-Lodgings
Inspector had not done more than six weeks' work on
houses-let-in-lodgings, because his time had been devoted practically
entirely to district work, owing to sickness of one or other of the District
Inspectors, or because of holiday duty.
The sickness rate among the Inspectorial staff in 1927 was
abnormally high, no less than 318 working days being lost on that
account; that is equivalent to the absence of one Inspector for rather
more than a year. It was found necessary to transfer the Houses-letin-Lodgings
Inspector to district work, resulting in a reduction of
routine work generally.
As a result of the report, the Council asked the Minister of Health
to sanction the appointment of an additional Sanitary Inspector. The
sanction was granted.
Housing.-—The shortage of housing accommodation in the Borough
still remains a very serious problem. Practically all the houses in
the Borough are occupied by members of more than one family, and
a very large number by members of more than two families. As the
houses were originally built to accommodate one family, the sanitary
arrangements, water supply, facilities for cleansing and washing and
cooking are inadequate to meet the needs of three families.
Under such conditions it is not surprising to find that the standard
of cleanliness in many houses is low. As time goes on the overcrowding
becomes worse and the proper separation of the sexes is a problem
which at present many families find it almost impossible to solve. The
average income of the majority of the overcrowded families is small,
rendering it impossible for them to pay economic rents for the accommodation
which they require, or to live at any great distance from their
work.
It would appear that, for the present at any rate, large modern
tenements five or six stories high with ample open space at front and
back and erected on suitable Sites in the Borough, are required if the
families who cannot afford to move out to the London County Council
estates are to be accommodated. Whatever type of dwelling is provided
I cannot see how the present position can be met unless it is realised