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73
Inspection of Houses.
The Chief Sanitary Inspector has prepared a summary of the
sanitary work completed during the year 1901, which will be found
appended hereto. 5,085 dwelling-houses in the City have been
inspected during the year, and in 2,101 instances preliminary
notices have been sent calling attention to defects requiring
attention. In addition thereto, numerous improvements have been
effected on the Inspector calling attention to the matter. It says a
good deal for the reasonableness of the requests of the Inspectors,
that in only 10 per cent. of the complaints was it necessary to apply
for statutory notices, and that legal proceedings had to be taken to
enforce these orders in only eight instances, and in each case successfully.
Closing orders were obtained in respect of three houses (all
of them being in the area required for the new Holborn to Strand
street). Proceedings were taken against builders and others for
neglect to give notice, or for improperly erecting or altering waterclosets,
drains, &c.; in eight instances, a penalty was inflicted in each
case; a number of others were cautioned by the Public Health
Committee.
Underground Dwellings.
It was found that, whereas in all the other parts of the City, the
use of underground dwellings had not been permitted, in St. James's
Parish a number existed. In view of the difficulty experienced by
the poorer classes in obtaining other more suitable living accommodation
in the district, the Council resolved (p. 393 Minutes) not to
turn out the occupants of these dwellings all at once, but ordered a
list to be prepared, and an examination made, with a view to prevent
the use of such dwellings as, in my opinion, should be closed at once,
and, with regard to the remainder, notices were to be served on the
owner that, in the event of them being vacant, they were, on no
account, to be re-let separately for living purposes. As a result,
25 underground rooms were vacated during the year, leaving 21 to
be dealt with as circumstances arise.
Houses Let in Lodgings.
Forty houses were placed upon the register during 1901, making a
total of 1,678 so registered. Some of these require visiting only once
a year, while others need to be visited every week, or oftener, on
account of the dirty habits of the tenants. These visits are productive
of much good, and an improved standard of cleanliness is
being attained. Proceedings were taken under these bye-laws in