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ment Board, and that the Board be asked not to confirm in the future any by-laws containing
such clauses.
(6) That a copy of the question and opinion be also sent to each of the metropolitan borough
councils.
The Local Government Board, however, did not concur in Mr. Cripps' view, and the
Council, therefore, on the recommendation of the Committee, asked, the Local Government Board
to co-operate with the Couucil with a view to obtaining a decision of the Courts as to whether
exemption clauses can legally be inserted in by-laws as to houses let in lodgings.
The medical officer of health of Battersea states in his annual report that—"In Battersea
it has been found that landlords will raise the rents of their dwellings in order to take them out
of the scope of the by-laws," and that this authority has decided to submit to the Local Government
Board, for confirmation, a revised set of by-laws containing no exemption clause, and these
are now being considered by the Board. From the report of the medical officer of health of Holborn
it appears that the Local Government Board desired to insert in new by-laws submitted
by the Holborn Borough Council a by-law "which would in effect make it compulsory on the
Council to register all houses, or parts of houses, let in lodgings, or occupied by the members of
more than one family, the rental of the tenements of which were below a certain minimum," and
that at an interview with the officers of the Board in January, 1903, "the Town Clerk pointed out
that the proposal of the Local Government Board in framing the by-law in the manner proposed,
would have the effect of depriving the Council of the power of exercising its discretion, as he claimed
it had a right to do, and, moreover, would be contrary to the terms of an opinion which had been
obtained by the London County Council from Mr. C. A. Cripps, K.C." The Borough Council
decided to inform the Local Government Board that in the event of the Board still feeling themselves
unable to confirm the by-laws in the form proposed, that the Board would not proceed
further with its application for confirmation, but would continue to enforce the existing by-laws.
The return referred to also shows the extent to which the by-laws were being enforced
in the several districts.
Information contained in the annual reports of medical officers of health supplies the
following information as to the action of sanitary authorities in respect of this duty—In Paddington
586 houses were on the register, 194 of which were added during the year, all the rooms
of which were measured ; there were 3,104 inspections of these houses and 27 summonses were
taken out ; in 61 instances the tenements were overcrowded ; two inspectors are employed in
registration and general supervision, the defects found being remedied by the district inspectors.
In Kensington 2,050 houses were on the register, 15 being added during the year ; 1,219 notices
were served. In Hammersmith 1,359 houses were registered, 329 being added during the year ;
one inspector is especially employed on these duties, but Dr. Collier states that as the number
of houses dealt with increases this will not suffice. In Hampstead the number of registered houses
was 908, 11 cases of overcrowding were abated, 227 houses were cleansed. In St. Pancras there
were 1,270 houses on the register, 982 having been added ; the number measured was 386 ; there
were 1,761 half-yearly inspections and 4,357 re-inspections after notices had been served ; between
4 a.m. and 11 a.m. 1,140 inspections were made by two inspectors; comparatively few cases of excessive
overcrowding were found ; three inspectors were especially employed in the inspection of
tenement houses. In Islington there were 533 houses on the register, being an increase of 13 upon
the numbers in 1901, 6,626 visits were made, and 1,711 nuisances, including 76 cases of overcrowding
were found and abated; one inspector devotes his whole time to these duties, and another
inspector divides his time between these duties and the purchase of samples under the Food
and Drugs Act. In Stoke Newington there were 119 houses on the register. In Holborn
there were 594 houses on the register ; these houses were inspected from time to time and
the regulations enforced. In Finsbury there were 939 houses on the register, 612 having
been added during the year ; a number of houses remain which ought to be registered, and
these will be proceeded with in due course ; legal proceedings were instituted in 26 instances
and penalties recovered; of these proceedings, 14 were for overcrowding, and there were 89 other
cases of overcrowding which were abated after notice; new by-laws were confirmed in Xovember,
1901. In the City there were 391 houses on the register ; they were re-surveyed during
the year and frequently inspected ; the number of notices served was 598. In Shoreditch
there were 191 houses on the register; 7 houses were added during the year. In Stepney there
were 1,669 houses on the register, 6,831 visits and re-visits were made, 295 intimation and
188 statutory notices were served, and legal proceedings instituted in 3 cases ; in 107 cases overcrowding
was abated ; new by-laws were confirmed in 1901. In Poplar there were 281 houses
on the register, the number added during the year being 154 ; night inspections numbering
104 were made, and re-inspections numbering 1,084 were made ; 142 notices were served and
legal proceedings instituted in respect of 3 houses ; the number of rooms measured was 698 ;
among the conditions found were 130 cases of overcrowding, of which 125 were abated, the
amount of overcrowding in the other 5 cases being very small ; an inspector was appointed
especially for the inspection of houses let in lodgings. In Southwark there were 970 houses
on the register, 135 having been added during the year ; there were 3,556 inspections and
11,834 re-visits were made; 1,342 intimation and 564 statutory notices were served; among the
conditions found were 189 cases of overcrowding, which were abated ; two female inspectors were
appointed for the inspection of houses let in lodgings ; their work is supervised by the chief
female inspector, who also inspects under the Factory and Workshop Act and inspects blocks of
tenement houses. In Bermondsey there were 206 houses on the register, and it was arranged these
should be inspected once a quarter. In Lambeth there were 371 houses on the register, and these
were regularly inspected. In Battersea there were 82 houses on the register, 33 having been added
during the year ; it is hoped this number will be increased during 1903. In Wandsworth there
were 116 houses on the register, the number added during the year being 49 ; all were inspected