View report page

52
November, 1913, and asserting that it is the practice of the County
Council to notify the Home Office and the Borough Councils concerned,
in all cases in which the ventilation of workrooms might be interfered
with by requirements made in connection with the provision of means
of escape, and having regard to this fact and to the large amount of
additional work and correspondence which would be entailed in the
event of Borough Councils being notified of all the cases in which the
County Council deal with the means of escape in case of fire, the Committee
do not see their way to depart from the present practice.
The letter adds that the plans relating to means of escape are always
available for inspection by representatives of the Borough Councils.
Since receipt of this letter, information has been supplied by the
County Council in several instances.
Removal of Offensive Refuse.—Complaints were made of offensive
smells in a number of instances occurring during the removal of
kitchen refuse from hotels, &c. Five persons were cautioned for
removing refuse during prohibited hours and one firm was prosecuted
and fined 40s. and 2s. costs.
Housing Conditions.
Sanitary Survey of Houses.—This has been continued throughout the
year. Special examination has been made of 6 houses in Willow Street,
5 in Greencoat Place and 3 in Marsham Street, and the attention of the
owners having been called to the general conditions thereof, it was
decided in the first two instances to close and demolish the premises, and
in the last case an undertaking was given to remove the insanitary
conditions existing.
Consideration is being given to the houses in Newport Court and
Little Newport Street.
Since the Housing and Town Planning Act came into force, I have
reported specially on 653 houses, with the result that 105 premises have
been closed and 67 demolished.

Of the remainder, 21 remain closed and two have been put into
satisfactory condition and re-occupied.