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27
CONGRESS OF THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT EASTBOURNE.
This very successful Congress was held at Eastbourne, July 24th to the 29th inclusive.
The Duke of Devonshire was the President of the Congress; the Right Worshipful the Mayor
of Eastbourne (Alderman Keay), the Honorary President; and the Town Clerk (H. W. Fovargue,
Esq.) and the Medical Officer of Health (W. J. Willoughby, Esq., M.D.), the Honorary Secretaries.
The Holborn Council appointed as Delegates, Alderman Trenner and Councillors, Prof. W.
11. Smith, M.D., J.P. (the President of the Institute), and Guildford Lewis, and the Medical Officer
of Health.
HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES ACT, 1890.
The following are the proceedings that have been taken daring the year under the Housing of
the Working Classes Act, 1890 : Under Part I. of the Act, the area known as the Italian Colony was
represented as an unhealthy area.
Under Part II. of the Act, Section 30; 37, Kingsgate Street, and Nos. 1, 7, 10, 17 and 27,
Leather Lane Buildings were represented as unhealthy dwelling houses. A closing order was obtained
for No. 37, Kingsgate Street, and the dwellings in Leather Lane Buildings were closed after
correspondence with the Town Clerk.
THE ITALIAN COLONY.
The area known as the Italian Colony which was represented, included all the premises in the
following :-
Eyre Court, Nos. 1 to 12 inclusive.
Eyre Terrace, Nos. 3, 4 and 5.
Eyre Place, Nos. 1 and 2.
Summer Court, Nos. 1 to 6 inclusive.
Fleet Row, Nos. 1 to 15 inclusive.
Eyre Street Hill, Nos. 6 to 31 inclusive.
Little Bath Street, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 4½ 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
Summer Street, Nos. 1 to 20 inclusive.
Warner Street, 24 to 58 inclusive, (even Nos.)
Back Hill, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17.
I carefully inspected all the premises, and made a detailed report of each of them, of which the
following was the summary :—
In this area the houses generally are old and worn and many are dangerously dilapidated.
In many the foundations have sunk so that the landings and floors are slanting and sunken
and walls bulged and in some cases fissured. In many the floors, landings and stairs are worn and
broken. In many the walls, hearths and ceilings are broken and dilapidated. In some the roofs are
defective causing dampness of the rooms beneath. Many of the gutters are also defective and rain
water pipes broken and do not discharge over proper gullies.
Many of the houses have no through ventilation, nor ventilation under the ground floors.
Many of the houses have no back areas and many others but very small ones. Some of the rooms are
very dark and a few have ventilation only by means of the door. The efficient ventilation of many of
the rooms is very much impeded or prevented by the defective or broken window frames, sashes and
window cords, very many of the windows being on this account seldom or never opened at the top.
The basements, many of which are used as dining and sitting rooms, are quite unfitted for this
purpose, as they are dark cellars with no damp courses, so that many are often damp and some
very damp.