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42
PART II.
C.—Housing, House Inspection, etc.
The Census figures now published give a number of details as to the
manner in which the population of Westminster is housed. The tables
appended are constructed on different lines from those in former years,
consequently comparison is somewhat difficult. Variations which occur
may be due in some measure to differences in classification.
The total buildings in the city appear to be 19,718, of which 15,014
contained dwellings. In 1911 there were 17,540 buildings containing
dwellings, so there is a reduction of 2,526. Undivided private dwelling
houses have fallen from 11,522 to 8,830, while blocks of flats, tenements
and structurally divided houses have increased from 1,146 to 1,265.
Shops with dwellings attached have fallen from 2,603 to 2,222, but similar
offices, warehouses and workshops, also other buildings, including institutions,
etc., have increased from 2,151 to 2,577. As the Registrar.General
points out, these figures must be taken as approximate, but they indicate
the change from a residential to a business area which has been taking
place in parts of the City for some years. Omitting 616 dwellings occupied
by non.private families, there were 27,136 dwellings containing 151,379
rooms, but 1,815 of these, with 8,673 rooms, were vacant on Census night.
These dwellings contained 33,946 separate lettings. Of private dwellings
42.6 per cent, consisted of from 1 to 3 rooms, 17.8 per cent, of 4 to 5
rooms, 17.9 per cent, of 6 to 8 rooms, and 21.7 per cent, contained 9 or
more. There has been a marked increase in the number of tenements
containing from 1 to 4 rooms with a corresponding decrease in dwellings
containing from 5 rooms and upwards, but apparently the number of
'persons occupying tenements of from 1 to 4 rooms has decreased from
74,617 to 70,432, while those in the larger dwellings decreased from
54,201 to 42,094.