View report page

28
DWELLINGS.
House to House Inspections have been carried on during the year in diminished
proportions as explained above and in the previous Annual Report. The increase
in the Staff will enable these inspections in future to be better maintained.
Tenement Houses, or houses let in lodgings to members of more than one
family, as they are technically but inconveniently termed in sec. 35 of the Sanitary
Act of 1866, and sec. 47 of the Sanitary Law Amendment Act of 1874, are now
embraced within more efficient control by your Yestry having adopted Bye-laws
for their regulation, that were confirmed by the Local Government Board,
30th August, 1890. It is unnecessary to reproduce these regulations here, as they
are printed under separate cover. The main points, besides making the usual
sanitary provisions, are that every person is to be allowed 300 cubic feet of space
in a sleeping room, and 400 cubic feet in a room used both for living and sleeping
purposes, that W.C.'s are to be provided for every 12 persons, and that whenever '
common use, or use by two or more occupiers of any part of the house or premises
is shown, the onus is thrown upon the landlord of maintaining cleanliness or of
providing for its maintenance.
Block Duellings remain as in the previous year, and details in reference to
them will be found as usual in the table in the appendix.
Common Lodging Houses are set out in the table in the appendix. Two
important points require consideration in connection with this class of dwellings.
Firstly, the more distinct separation of the houses provided for each sex. The
houses provided for males, for females, and for married couples, should be kept
rigidly distinct, and quarters for married couples should not be permitted to exist
in houses provided for either single females or males. Secondly, the Sanitary
Authorit}' should have joint control with the police over these dwellings. At
present, the Sanitary Bye-laws for this class of house are drawn up by the Police
and not by the Sanitary authority, and under them constables, instead of sanitary
inspeclois enforce the suppression of nuisances.
Underground Dwellings. During the year 64 notices of the Yestry were served
upon the owners or occupiers of underground dwellings, ordering them to cease to
occupy such basement rooms or cellars as dwellings or to comply with the structural
requirements of section 103 of the Metropolis Local Management Act, 1855.
Canal Boats, Caravans, and Tents call for no special comment.
Insanitary Areas.—Referring to the Insanitary Areas first brought under
consideration during 1889, and mentioned in the Report of that year—Wait's
Place and Pasemore Place were demolished, and on the Cromer Street area, Melina
Place, North Terrace, Argyle Place, Riley Street, Dutton Street, Wood Street,
Brighton Street (southern end), and Tonbridge Street (east side of southern end),
have been demolished, and the East End Dwellings Company are commencing to
erect Block Dwellings upon the sites. The three areas not yet dealt with, namely,
CI) Churchway, Elizabeth Court, York Buildings, &c. ; (2) Prospect Terrace and
Derry Street, and (3) North Crescent Mews and Brantome Place have been since
February 12th, 1891, represented to the London County Council under Part I. of
the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890.