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Report of the County Medical Officer—General. 61
the Act, on the ground (1) that they would not be effective, and (2) that the cost incurred would fall
exclusively upon the local rate, Bethnal-green being one of the poorest of the metropolitan boroughs.
As a result the Council, on 29th-30th July, 1913, decided that it was not at present prepared
to undertake an improvement scheme for this area under Part I. of the Housing of the Working
Classes Act, 1890, in view of the fact that further legislation on the subject was practically certain
at no distant date, and that such legislation would in all probability enable the area and other similar
areas to be dealt with in a more satisfactory manner and at less cost to the rate-payer than was the
case under the present law.
In pursuance of the provisions of section 10 of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890,
a copy of the official representation with regard to the Brady-street area was sent to the Local Government
Board, together with the Council's reasons for not acting upon it, and on 24th October, 1913, the
Board held at the Bethnal-green Town Hall a local inquiry into the matter, but the Board did not
announce its decision during the period dealt with in this report.
Article V. of the regulations made by the Local Government Board in September, 1910, under
this Act, requires that the "medical officer of health shall include in his annual report information and
particulars in tabular form in regard to the number of dwelling houses inspected under and for the
purposes of section 17 of the Act of 1909, the number of dwelling houses which on inspection were
considered to be in a state so dangerous or injurious to health as to be unfit for human habitation, the
number of representations made to the local authority with a view to the making of closing orders,
the number of closing orders made, the number of dwelling houses the defects in which were remedied
without the making of closing orders, the number of dwelling houses which, after the making of
closing orders, were put into a fit state for human habitation, and the general character of the
defects found to exist. He shall also include any other information and particulars which he may
consider desirable in regard to the work of inspection under the said section."
Housing,
Town Planning
Act,
Section 17