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104 Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
There is very little poverty among this class, although
labelled by Mr. Booth as "gipsy poor." The rents are as a rule
paid regularly.
One statement made by Mr. Booth with reference to this
street is one which can easily be refuted, the statement being that
there is "throughout the street a family to every room." The
recent inspection shows that out of 120 families residing there
only 25 occupy one room. A further inquiry into such occupation
shows that in nearly all the cases the family consisted of a man and
his wife, and in only one or two cases were there any children.
All the rooms occupied by one family were measured by the Sanitary
Inspector and the cubic capacity for each family was found to
be ample.
The rents in Wardley Street vary from six to nine shillings
per house or from 1/5 to 2/3 per room.
I have always realised that this street and one or two others
in the Borough of a similar character require frequent inspection
but if the occupants themselves would realise their responsibilities
with regard to cleanliness of the house and person there would be
very little to complain of. The people themselves seem to have
an instinctive dislike to soap and water, and the only remedy that
the Sanitary Authority has is to inspect such localities frequently
and to serve notices for cleansing of the premises either on the
occupier or owner. The personal cleanliness is a matter in which
the Sanitary Authority can do little, but the visit of the Sanitary
Inspector frequently has a beneficial result.
There also exists in this street a yard in which there are a
number of vans, some on wheels and some permanent, occupied
by a class of costers peripatetic in their habits. Most of these
have resided there for a considerable time, and in most cases the
By-laws with respect to Tents and Vans are evaded. I feel
certain that if this area was cleared there would be a decided improvement
in the street itself, but I fear there is no power in the
present case to condemn it as an insanitary area. Notices
have recently been served to have the yard paved with impervious
material and also for contravention of the By-laws as to overcrowding
and other insanitary conditions which at present exist
in the vans themselves. As these notices have not been, up to the