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reasonable, but were prepared to assent to an amendment requiring a lodging.house to be cleansed
in the first week of April and at such other times as the conditions thereof may render it necessary.
Southwark.— There were 970 houses on the register at the end of the year 1902, 163 were
registered in 1903, and 33 removed from the register, leaving 1,100 on the register at the end of
1903. There were 3,031 inspections and 5,373 re.visits to the registered houses, 3,456 entries
made in the nuisance register, 1,020 intimation and 318 statutory notices served, 985 sanitary
works completed, and 3,230 nuisances abated.
Bermondsey.— In 1902 there were 206 houses on the register. During 1903 two houses
were added and one removed, leaving 207 on the register at the end of the year.
Lambeth.— There were 372 houses on the register, one being registered during the year.
Dr. Priestley states that in practice it has been found difficult to enforce the annual cleansing
by the landlord, and he is of opinion that there is necessity for the by.laws to be amended
so as to make the owner, and not the landlord, liable. With respect to overcrowding, he
states in a special report that while gross cases are dealt with under the Public Health Act,
the enforcement of the by.law as to cubic space would, in his opinion, be " an unjust and severe
action for a sanitary authority to take under conditions such as at present exist, more especially
in the Inner Wards of Lambeth Borough."
Battersea.— The number of houses on the register at the beg inning of the year was 82, and
during the year 39 were added, making a total of 121, and the medical officer states that this
number would have been greater had the revised by.laws been sanctioned during 1903. In March,
1903, the borough council submitted a new set of by.laws in which the term "landlord" was so
defined as to mean the owner of premises, and the term keeper to mean the person letting the house
in lodgings and receiving the profits of such letting. The standard of air space was raised to 400
cubic feet for an adult in a sleeping room and 500 cubic feet in a room used for living and sleeping,
the corresponding figures for children under ten years of age being 200 and 250 cubic feet respectively.
The Local Government Board accepted these provisions but objected to by.laws which
contained no exemption clause. The borough council sought sanction to an exemption clause
similar to that in the Bethnal.green by.laws, but the Board declined, and suggested the following
clause, which was accepted by the borough council— "A lodging.house shall be exempt from the
operations of these by.laws where the keeper resides on the premises, and where, in addition to
such keeper and his family, there are not more than two persons lodging in such house." The
revised by.laws had not been formally sanctioned at the end of the year. Dr. McCleary discusses
the advantages of registration of houses let in lodgings, and shows the larger control the sanitary
authority can exercise over such houses by making them subject to by.laws. With respect to
overcrowding, dirty houses, etc., he writes: "In a registered house the sanitary authority can
prosecute the landlord direct for a breach of the by.laws and apply for penalties. This procedure
should be adopted in cases of overcrowding, unless there are very good reasons to the
contrary. It has the effect of giving the landlord a pecuniary interest in the prevention of
overcrowding, and converts him, practically, into a colleague of the sanitary inspector."
Wandsworth.— The number of houses on the register was 200; 360 inspections were
made and 192 notices served, of which 6 were for overcrowding. In a special report Dr. Caldwell
Smith states that about 5,000 houses in the borough are let to tenants who in turn sublet, and
he writes: "It is almost impossible for the by.laws to be carried out satisfactorily where this
latter form of letting is in force, as the tenant who sublets is not in a position financially to
carry out the requirements, and registration of these, as long as the by.law remains as at
present, would be of no advantage. It always has been my practice to advise the committee
to place houses on the register which are occupied by more than two families, but even in these
the same difficulty as to the definition of 'landlord' has arisen. There are, however, a large
number of houses let to members of more than one family, and which come under the by.law,
which it would be advisable to place on the register when such are not kept in a sanitary
condition. It has not been my practice to ask for houses to be placed on the register which are
well looked after by the landlord, as I do not think anything would be gained by such
registration."
Camberwell.— There were 270 houses on the register at the end of 1902, and 30 were added
during 1903, making a total of 300 on the register at the end of 1903. There were 1,172 inspections,
58 notices served, and 2 prosecutions for overcrowding; and 183 notices served and 4
prosecutions for other conditions.
Deptford.— By.laws were sanctioned by the Local Government Board in November, 1902.
There were 126 houses on the register at the end of 1903, 49 having been registered during
the year. There were 134 inspections. Two notices were served for overcrowding. The
medical officer of health anticipated that many houses would be put on the register during
1904.
Greenwich.— The medical officer of health reports— "The by.laws prepared by this council
have during the year received the sanction of the Local Government Board, and the various
forms and notices required under these by.laws are in course of preparation. No houses have
been placed upon the register during the year, and with the present staff it will be practically
impossible to make any satisfactory attempt to deal with this large question. The Public Health
Committee now have under consideration a report dealing with the question of an increase to the
permanent staff."