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sufficient to meet the reasonable needs of the families, taking into consideration the sex and ages of the
children and the bedroom accommodation required; (ii.) no person residing alone is to be accepted as
a tenant; and (iii.) not more than two rooms to be allotted to a married couple without children or two
single women living together.
Rehousing.
Owing to war conditions the Council did not during the years 1915-20 rehouse, in its own dwellings,
any persons who had been displaced by its street improvement, clearance and education schemes,
although a clearance was made on the Tabard Street area. During 1920-21, however, the Council
rehoused 106 persons, all of whom had been displaced in consequence of the Tabard Street clearance,
while in 1921-22, 192 persons who had been displaced by the Tabard Garden scheme were rehoused.
The total number rehoused up to 31st March, 1922, was iust over 2,000.
Transfers.
During the year, 545 tenants were transterred to other tenements on the Council s estates. I hese
transfers are sometimes to a different estate, owing to the tenant having changed his place of work, and
sometimes to a larger or smaller tenement owing to an increase or decrease in the tenant's family.
Whenever possible, tenants living in overcrowded conditions are transferred to larger dwellings, but this
is specially difficult at the present time owing to the shortage of accommodation and to the unstable
economic conditions.
Removals
and empties.
During 1921-22, 439 tenants left, of whom 31 were given notice to quit, either for non-payment
of rent, disorderly conduct or some other cause. The remaining 408 gave notice and left to suit their
own convenience.
Enumeration
of tenants
and overcrowding.
The enumeration ot tenants was taken in March, 1922 and showed that the rooms (excluding
lodging houses) available for lettings were actually occupied by 47,586, or an average of 1.3 persons
a room. As in previous years, the enumeration returns were carefully examined in order to detect
overcrowding. The maximum number of persons to be allowed in any tenement in the dwellings has
been fixed at two adults a room, children up to the age of five not being taken into account for this
purpose, and each child between the ages of five and ten being regarded as half an adult. This year
the number of cases not complying with this standard was 232 or l-92 per cent, of the total number
of tenements, as compared with 2-08 per cent, in 1920-21. The overcrowding is due in a measure to the
increase, with the course of time, of the ages of tenants' children,but mainly, of course, to the continuance
of the general shortage of accommodation and the consequent difficulty of obtaining larger tenements.
All the cases, however, although not complying with the Council's regulations, fall short of contravening
the by-laws made under the Public Health Acts. The overcrowding will be remedied as opportunities
occur by transfers to larger tenements.
Kent
Restrictions
Acts.
Under the Increase of Rent and Mortgage Interest (War Restrictions) Act, 1915, the additional
rates which the Council had to pay in respect of the dwellings were added to the rents payable by the
tenants while, in accordance with the Increase of Rent and Mortgage Interest (Restrictions) Act, 1920,
the rents were further increased as from September, 1920, by 30 per cent, of the net rents of 1914. In
July, 1921, the Council, as permitted by the last-mentioned Act, increased the rents by an additional
10 per cent., thus making the full increase, namely 40 per cent., allowed by the Act. The amount
produced by the increase in 1921-22, was about £62,550, and, operating over a complete financial year,
the 40 per cent, increase would produce about £66,500. These permitted increases have not been
made in respect of property forming part of slum clearance areas. It will be realised that the periodical
revision of rents consequent upon alterations in the rates involves a great amount of work, the calculations
affecting about 11,000 tenements with varying rents and rateable values and situated in the
areas of rearly thirtv different local rating authorities.
Financial
results.
In the Housing Accounts for 1921-22, prepared by the comptroller of the council (see beginning
of present chapter), full details are given of the financial results of the Council's housing schemes up to
31st March, 1922, but it may be apposite to repeat here some of the more important figures. In this
connection it is necessary to preserve a clear distinction between the Non-Assisted Schemes promoted
before the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919, and the Assisted Schemes promoted under that
Act, the assistance taking the form of an annual subsidy from the Government sufficient'to ensure that
the annual deficiency on all Council and metropolitan borough council schemes shall not exceed the
produce of a penny rate.
Dealing first with the Non-Assisted Schemes, the aggregate capital expenditure on dwellings
provided to 31st March, 1922, was £2,990,379. The financial result of the year's working, after providing
for interest and sinking fund charges on the capital expenditure, was a surplus of £15,277 or 4.19 per cent,
of the gross rental of £364,801, as compared with a deficiency for the preceding year of £6,745, or 3"41
per cent, of the gross rental. To the surplus for 1921-22, may be added the balance (£1,726) of the
Acquisition of Lands Fund, making the total surplus in respect of Non-Assisted Schemes, £17,003.
The deficiency in 1920-21, was mainly to be accounted for by the general increase under all heads of working
expenses arising out of post-war conditions and by the fact that, owing to the Rest Restrictions
Act, the rents could not be raised to meet these expenses until a considerable part of the year had
elapsed. During 1921-22, it became possible to increase the rents to the full extent (40 per cent.) permitted
by the Rent Restrictions Acts while the working expenses fell somewhat; these two factors
combined to bring about a surplus instead of a deficiency. The interest and sinking fund charges
amounted to £117,207 or 32.1 per cent, of the gross rental. Other outgoings amounted to £225,525
or 61.8 per cent, of the gross rental, including £91,750 (25-l per cent, of the gross rental) for rates and
taxes.
As regards the 2,076 dwellings erected under Assisted Schemes and in occupation during the
year, the financial result after providing for interest and sinking fund charges, was a deficiency of
£30,750. This deficiency will be included in the amount recoverable from H.M. Government. The
interest and sinking fund charges amounted to £54,301, and the expenditure on other outgoings accounted