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Some specimens may be quoted—consideration being limited to cases in which the contrast
between the condition of the group of houses and that of adjoining property was marked.
a. A few particulars ascertained as to two houses belonging to a group of six houses—
(а) Two cases of overcrowding here. The water-closet pan is foul, its flushing apparatus
defective; the dust receptacle is dilapidated; patches of plaster have come off the walls of the
washhouse and of the staircase ; the first-floor rooms present abundant evidence of the presence ofbugs.
(б) One case of overcrowding. Defective yard paving; guttering defective over washhouse;
water-closet pan foul; dust-bin dilapidated ; staircase and rooms very dirty ; roof defective.
b. Five houses belonging to another group presented similar conditions of dilapidation to those
above described, aud four of the houses were infested with vermin. Three cases of overcrowding were
noted in these houses.
c. Details ascertained as to three houses belonging to another group—
(а) Two cases of overcrowding in this house. The ground floor rooms are very dilapidated and
dirty; the upper rooms dilapidated and infested with vermin; there are two water-closets, one is
choked.
(б) Two cases of overcrowding. Nothing has been done in the way of cleansing or repairs, so
it is said, to the second floor back, which is infested with bugs, for four years.
(c) Two cases of overcrowding. Rooms dirty and dilapidated. For one of tho attics a rent of
4s. a week is said to be paid, yet the characteristic accumulations found in rooms infested with bugs
have attained to such a size as to indicate that they must have remained undist urbed for a prolonged
period of time.
In Plumstead, where it was practicable to pursue this question of the grouping of dirty and
overcrowded houses in detail it was found that among houses presenting similar outward characteristics,
those in about half the total number of ownerships were not overcrowded at all, while the bulk of the
overcrowding occurred in those representing about one sixth of the total number of ownerships.
In St. Pancras no systematic attempt to maintain a reasonable standard of house accommodation
in so far as cleanliness and cubic space requirements are concerned has hitherto been made. The
powers of the sanitary authority are amply sufficient for this purpose in respect of houses let in
lodgings or occupied by members of more than one family, and it is these houses which constitute the
large majority of the houses requiring to be dealt with. Although however by-laws under section 94
of the Public Health London Act were confirmed in 1893, no machinery for putting them in force in
the parish has been devised. About 150 houses in some 15 streets have been placed upon the register,
but this proceeding has not been productive of very much benefit. The officers who are supposed to
inspect these houses rarely find opportunity, owing to the pressing nature of their other duties, for
doing so, and as a matter of fact the full benefit of the power of control afforded by the by-laws is far
from being obtained even in the limited number of instances with respect to which this power has been
taken. If the groups of houses in which overcrowding is rife at the present time in St. Pancras are to
be adequately regulated under section 94 of the Public Health London Act, it is obvious that for the
cariying out of this work alone, a considerable addition to the strength of the sanitary staff will have
to be made.
Analysis of overcrowdinq statistics.
The unusually large number of cases of overcrowding noted in St. Pancras suggests that the
material to hand may be usefully analysed with a view to ascertaining under what conditions overcrowding
commonly cccurs. The census figures relate to occupants of one, two, three and four room
tenements, and a classification on this basis has been adopted. Further, as regards families occupying
more than one room, cases in which the limits of cubic space referred to on page 7 have been exceeded
cn account of misuse of space have been distinguished from those in which overcrowding is caused by
actual insufficiency of space. It would be of course anticipated that in some instances in which one
room of a tenement comprising two or more rooms was overcrowded, it would be possible to so modify
the sleeping arrangements of the family occupying the tenement as to allot to each person a larger
number of cubic feet than was provided under existing conditions. Those instances in which such
modification could be made as to cause the number of cubic feet per person to exceed the assigned
limits have been classed as overcrowding resulting from misuse of space. Those instances in which
this could not be done are classed as overcrowding resulting from insufficiency of space. The following
table gives the particulars above referred to—

†In each of these three-room tenements two of the rooms were overcrowded.
*In the case of a family here two rooms were found overcrowded.