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had conic into force requiring a register of decontrolled dwelling houses
to be kept by the local authority, together with the issue of certificates
as to registration or non-registration of decontrolled tenancies. These
duties were assigned to the Public Health department. Additional clerical
assistance was engaged for the purpose, but much of the work, especially
relating to the sanitary conditions of the houses coming within the
purview of this Act necessarily fell to a sanitary inspector. The register
was closed on 18th October, and up to that date the inspector allocated
to housing had given much of his time to the supervision of the work
entailed by the Act. Later his housing work was further interrupted by
the need for a special investigation in connection with an outbreak of
infectious disease of unusual origin. As by the end of the year he had
surveyed only 108 houses it was proposed to increase the staff by an
additional temporary sanitary inspector and to rearrange the duties of
other inspectors so that there would be three inspectors wholly engaged
on survey work while additional clerical stall would be employed for the
purpose of recording the information obtained.
The work of a housing survey is liable to be delayed by various
circumstances. Tenants are not always at home and this entails written
appointments and returning to houses already surveyed to inspect perhaps
a single room previously found closed. There is also repair of sanitary
defects observed in the course of survey for which notices have been
served. These require re-inspections and not infrequently interviews
with owners, builders and others interested. The question of the occupation
of underground rooms needs careful investigation and appropriate
action to ensure that, while having due regard to available rehousing
facilities, offences relating to underground occupation shall not be permitted
to continue. These matters tend to interfere with the progress of a
survey and in the near future other sanitary inspectors will be detailed to
follow up the various items which result from a survey and require
attention.
The value of a housing survey is materially enhanced by its being
completed within a reasonably short period. Otherwise, while as regards
one district information as to conditions may be up to date, in another,
having been surveyed several years previously, the circumstances of
occupation may have so altered that they have no relation to those
obtaining at the completion of the survey. It is therefore of very great
importance that any report of the housing of the area should reflect
conditions existing throughout the entire area during a given period,
say a year.