View report page

5
or brickwork in 17 instances, foul or defective watercloset pans 21 instances, inadequate or
defective paving of yards 24 instances, dampness of walls 47 instances, unpaved and undrained
forecourts or front gardens 35 instances, defective stack pipes or guttering 12 instances, yards
in a dirty condition, or animals so kept as to be a nuisance 21 instances, defective or
inadequately-covered ash bins 45 instances, inadequately-covered water cisterns 12 instances,
defective flushing apparatus 14 instances, and overcrowding in 25 instances.
It is noticeable that the list of defects, with the exception of the dampness of walls, consists
mainly of conditions of a kind which are likely to recur in property of the poorer class.
The presence of dampness is, I think, chiefly attributable to the fact that the houses in
which it is found are old, and are probably not provided with a damp course ; but it is often
most noticeable in the wall of the ground floor front room of houses, and there is little doubt that
the condition is in part due to the want of paving and draining of the narrow strip of forecourt
so often found between the front wall of the house and the railings separating it from the
pavement. These small pieces of ground, originally, no doubt, intended to serve for plants, are
generally neglected, and the paving of them with a fall towards the roadway, together with
the provision of an air brick in the house wall below the floor level, would doubtless tend to
ameliorate the condition of dampness.
"Waste pipes from sinks, and drain inlets within houses generally discharge above ground
outside the house so as to afford aerial disconnection, and drain inlets outside the house are
usually provided with properly trapped gullies. As regards soil pipes, means of ventilation
exist, but in several instances it was observed that this was effected by means of a rain-water
pipe, or by a galvanised iron pipe of smaller diameter than the soil pipe. These instances,
however, occurred in houses where the drains had been constructed some years ago and previous
to the date when the by-laws regulating their method of construction came into force.
On three occasions, however, I observed that alterations or repairs had been made recently
in connection with drains, which were not in compliance with the by-laws, the work in each
case had been carried out without the knowledge of the sanitary authority. In premises
where the drains are of old construction there is generally wanting either an air inlet or an
intercepting chamber.
Houses let in lodgings or occupied by members of more than one family.— The number of premises
of this class which had been placed on the register by the sanitary authority up to March,
1902, was 1,088. This total has been obtained since October, 1896, when the register was first commenced,
and is the result chiefly of information obtained by the sanitary inspector engaged in
the work of systematic house to house inspection of all inhabited houses in the district. This
systematic house to house inspection, which has now been once completed for the whole district,
had already, in October, 1896, been in force for some time, and part of the district had already
been visited, but previous to this date no special action was taken by the sanitary authority
as to registering houses let in lodgings, and note was not made of them with a view to their
registration. Consequently, the number given above is not regarded as representing the total
number of houses which are registrable under the by-laws in force in Hammersmith. These
by-laws,which were approved by the Local Government Board in 1896 in place of regulations
previously in force, contain a clause exempting from their operation houses occupied by
members of more than one family, but in which the rent paid by the lodgers is above certain
limits. Thus houses are exempt when the rent paid by the lodgers is 5s. a week or more in the
case of unfurnished rooms, and 8s. a week or more for furnished rooms. Among the 526 houses
which I visited during this inquiry, I made notes as regards 254 as being occupied by more
than one family. Of these, in 192 houses the rents paid by the lodgers are within the limit,
but in 62 the rents paid are such as to exempt the premises from registration. In practice,
this rent limit does not appear to bring under regulation all premises for which the by-laws
are more especially useful, whilst, on the other hand, certain houses which come within
the operation of the by-laws and some of which are registered are not specially in need
of the supervision intended. Thus, as regards houses which I visited and which come within
the limit, I noted 22 instances in which the conditions were not such as needed supervision so
far as the special requirements of the by-laws, namely, the maintenance of cleanliness and
the prevention of overcrowding are concerned, whilst as regards houses let in lodgings, but
exempt from registration, 20 premises were noted which appear to be of the type for which
the by-laws are intended. Many of the latter are let in floors, and in several, I made note of conditions
for dealing with which the by-laws would be of considerable advantage. Thus, if the