View report page

66
to April, 1902. In his special report, Dr. Dudfield states that after inquiry he found few cases of
overcrowding in Kensington, judged by the standard of the by-laws. With respect to rents, he says
that "cases could be cited of houses worth, perhaps, twelve to fifteen shillings a week unfurnished,
let in 'furnished' rooms so as to bring in thirty, forty, and in a few cases, fifty shillings a week.
The rent per tenement of a single room ranges from 3s. to 7s. 6d. per week; for two rooms, from
7s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. The 'furniture' for the most part is meagre in quantity, in quality wretched,
and hardly deserving the name. With few exceptions the furnished rooms are found in the
'special area'; in which district the unfurnished tenements of one room fetch from 1s. 6d. to
4s., the two-room tenements from 4s. 6d. to 7s., the three-room tenements from 5s. 6d. to 10s.
per week, according to size and position. A tenemented house let in unfurnished rooms by the
middleman consequently realises double the amount of the weekly rent paid to the landlord." Dr.
Parkes reports that the Borough Council of Chelsea acquired, under Part III. of the Act, the
reversionary interest of the freeholder in Onslow-dwellings, Pond-place, at a cost of £13,350,
to include law and incidental charges. Onslow-dwellings consist of four blocks of three-storey
brick buildings containing 63 three-room tenements let at 5s. 6d. per week and 45 two-room
tenements let at 4s. 6d. per week. There are also a club-room and mission hall attached. The
buildings house a population of about 450 persons. The lease expires at Christmas, 1909.
Dr. Allan's report relating to Westminster contains particulars of population, occupation
and rents paid by the inhabitants of Chadwick-street, Great Peter-street, Laundry-yard, Monckstreet,
Monck-court, Blue-anchor-court, St. Matthew-street, St. Ann's-court, Medway-street and
Arneway-street. He came to the conclusion that provision should be made for at least 500
persons at an early date, and he thought that provision for another 500 or 750 persons within
the next five years would not prove excessive. The Council purchased a piece of land 64,000
square feet in area abutting on Regency-street, Page-street and Vincent-street. "It has been
cleared of houses, and it is proposed to erect upon it dwellings similar to those recently erected
by the Guinness Trust in Hammersmith, which have been visited by the Housing Committee.
Several schemes for providing additional accommodation in the northern part of the city have
been considered, but have not as yet assumed a practical shape." Mr. Wynter Blyth states
that a report relating to an area in St. Marylebone was made during 1901 under Part II. of the
Act, but at the request of the borough the report was afterwards made under Part I. to the
London County Council. He adds that "no action as yet has been taken by the London County
Council, but the matter is still under their consideration." The Borough Council resolved to
purchase an area of 9,000 square feet abutting on John-street for the sum of £7,000. On this
site artisans' dwellings will be erected. Dr. Littlejohn reports that in Hampstead the Borough
Council adopted Part III. of the Act, and instructed the Public Health Committee to investigate
the nature and extent of overcrowding in the borough, for which purpose seven inspectors were
temporarily engaged, the results of their inquiries being embodied in a special report by the
late medical officer of health. Later, a Housing Committee was constituted who instructed
Dr. Littlejohn to report further upon the death-rate and incidence of zymotic disease in various
districts. Dr. Sykes gives particulars as to the areas in St. Pancras which have been subject
to a decision of the Home Secretary. With regard to the Churchway area he says that the
Borough Council is in negotiation for the purpose of acquiring the houses Nos. 146 to 150 (even),
Euston-road, the freehold having been already acquired, for the purpose of opening the new
thoroughfare into Euston-road. With respect to the areas being dealt with under Part II. of
the Act for that part of the area west of Chalton-street and north of Drummond-street, no scheme
is being carried out, the houses having been dealt with individually some years since. In
the pair, of the area east of Chalton-street the Borough Council has passed resolutions for the
amendment of the Chapel-grove scheme by the acquisition of Nos. 13, 15 and 17, Chapel-street,
and for the amendment of the Eastnor-place scheme by the acquisition of Nos. 10, 14, 16 and
18, Phœnix-street, and the construction of a block of dwellings down the centre of the cleared
area. The Borough Council also passed a resolution that dwellings for the working classes should
be erected on the Great College-street, on the Brantome-place and North Crescent-mews, and
on the Prospect-terrace and Derry-street sites when cleared under Part II. of the Housing of
the Working Classes Act. The plans, etc., for the buildings on the last two sites were approved
by the Borough Council in November and forwarded for the approval of the Local Government
Board and the County Council. In September it was reported to the Borough Council that the
Local Government Board and County Council had approved the plans, etc., of the buildings
to be erected on the Great College-street (supplemental) site. The modified and supplemental
schemes were included in one order which was sealed by the Local Government Board on the
7th December. In a special report Dr. Warry discusses the need for accommodation for the
working classes in Hackney. He found, as a result of inquiries, that in the houses let in lodgings,
in Hackney which had been registered, the rooms used for sleeping and living were not of a
size that permitted more than two persons in a room without infringement of the by-law as to
overcrowding, and that "eight per cent. may be regarded as a fairly reliable estimate of the
overcrowding of tenement dwellings at the present time." His report contains numerous
instances of considerable increase in the rent paid by the working classes amounting to
over 33 per cent. in recent years, and shows that the cost of building has largely increased; he
recommends the provision of a municipal lodging-house for the poorest class, the conversion
of large houses in Hackney into tenement dwellings and the erection of suitable dwellings both
within and without the borough, the latter in the suburbs. Dr. Bond describes the area
in Holborn occupied by the Italian colony. This area contains houses in Eyre-court,
Eyre-terrace, Eyre-place, Summer-court, Fleet-row, Eyre-street-hill, Little Bath-street, Summer-street,
Warner-street and Back-hill. He states that the houses generally are old and
worn, and many are dangerously dilapidated. Many of The houses have no through ventilation