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68
Houses Let in Lodgings.—The number of houses on the register at
the end of the year was 255. The Sanitary Inspectors paid 713 visits
of inspection to these houses and infringements of the by-laws were
reported in a number of instances. Those infringements were principally
failure to keep rooms in a cleanly condition and free from vermin ; there
were also several cases of overcrowding and lack of proper separation of
sexes in sleeping apartments. Appropriate action was taken in each to
obtain compliance with the requirements of the by-laws.
The further registration of houses of this class was postponed for a
considerable period pending the result of an appeal from a decision of
the magistrate at Marlborough Street Police Court. In this case the
Council issued a summons against an owner or " tenant" for failing to
make the return of particulars required for the purpose of registration,
and a conviction was obtained. The owner appealed to the High Court
on the ground that the house in question, being let to several different
families each of whom occupied a separate floor, was not a " house let
in lodgings " as defined in the by-laws. At the hearing of the appeal,
however, no decision was come to on this point, the case being sent back
to the magistrate who, in his statement of case had omitted to say whether
he had as a fact found that the house was occupied by members of the
working classes. The magistrate heard the case a second time, and after
hearing further evidence decided that the house was not so occupied and
dismissed the case. It should, however, be noted that the conditions had
changed since the original hearing.
It is unfortunate that no decision was obtained in the High Court
on the question raised in the appeal, as the point at issue was one of
considerable importance to local authorities generally.
Restriction of Rent Acts.—Two applications were received for certificates
under these Acts, and both were granted.
Nuisances.—Intimation notices'were served in 1,778 instances, the
number of premises concerned being 1,75G. Statutory notices authorised
by the sanitary authority numbered 45 and related to 43 premises. Police
court proceedings were taken in 4 instances in order to enforce compliance
with the requirements of statutory notices. A conviction was obtained
in one instance, the defendant being fined £1. In this case two rooms
which were " underground rooms " within the meaning of section 96 of
the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, had been vacated by a family who
had been rehoused by the City Council, and the defendant, in spite of a
warning from the Council, had relet them. The other three cases, which
were in respect of dirty and defective conditions, were withdrawn on