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176
The Housing of the Working Classe Act, 1890, came
into force on 18th August, 1890. In this connection, it
must be remembered that the powers under the Housing,
Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909, are wider than those under
the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, and deal
with empty houses as well as with occupied houses; whilst
Closing Orders under the former Act are made by the
Borough Council, whereas under the latter Act such Closing
Orders can only be made by a Magistrate, after taking
evidence, in the usual way, in the Court.
Housing in Waxwell Terrace.
A petition, dated 25th July, 1912, and signed by 57
persons was received and considered by the Council during
1912. The petitioners described the houses in Waxwell
Terrace as wholly insanitary and uninhabitable—a statement
which could not be substantiated officially alter
inspection by the Medical Officer of Health. Waxwell
Terrace is under frequent inspection, notices having been
served from time to time, as required. The houses are let
out in tenements to persons whose personal habits are
unsatisfactory, the houses themselves being, in so far as
drainage and structure are concerned, in a fair condition.
Several of the houses (odd numbers) on the south side
of the Terrace have been re-constructed and re-arranged
recently, so as to form practically part of the adjoining
tenements belonging to the London & South Western
Railway Company, with the result that a better class of
tenant has been obtained in these particular houses, and
the insanitary and otherwise undesirable conditions now no
longer exist thereat. The rest of the houses are not in such
a condition as to warrant Closing Orders being made by
the Council as the Authority under the Housing, Town
Planning, etc., Act, 1909.