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Tabard-garden estate, 163 on the Collingwood estate, and the remainder on other
estates. The total number rehoused up to 31st March, 1924, was 2,866.
Transfers.
During the year 916 tenants were transferred to other tenements on the Council's
estates. These 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.
Removaland
empties.
During the year 882 tenants left, of whom 101 were given notice to quit, either
for non-payment of rent, unsatisfactory conduct or some other cause. The
remaining 781 gave notice and left to suit their own convenience.
Enumeration
of tenants
and overcrowding
The annual enumeration of tenants was taken in March, 1924, and, as in previous
years, the enumeration returns were carefully examined in order to detect overcrowding.
For this purpose 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 age of five and ten being regarded as half an adult. This year the number of
tenements on the pre-war estates not complying with this standard was 270 out of
a total of 9,985, while 17 dwellings out of a total of 8,046 on the post-war estates
were found to be overcrowded. 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 bylaws
made under the Public Health Acts. The overcrowding will be remedied as
opportunities occur by transfers to larger tenements.
Rent Restrictions
Acta.
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 over a complete financial
year, is about £66,500. These permitted increases have not been made in respect
of property acquired by the Council forming part of slum clearance areas. The
periodical revision of rents consequent upon alterations in the rates involves a great
amount of work, the calculations affecting about 16,500 tenements with varying
rents and rateable values and situated in the areas of nearly thirty different local
rating authorities.
Outbreaks of
fire.
There were 37 outbreaks of fire at the estates during the year, the cost of reinstatement
being about £110.
Vital
statistics.
The health conditions on all the estates continue to be highly satisfactory, the
death-rates on the estates in typical metropolitan boroughs being markedly lower
than the borough death-rates.
Financial
results.
Details are given in the memorandum by the comptroller of the Council at the
beginning of this chapter of the financial results of the Council's housing schemes
up to 31st March, 1924, but it may be apposite to repeat here some of the more
important figures. Dealing first with the Non-assisted Schemes, the aggregate
capital expenditure on dwellings provided to 31st March, 1924, was £3,031,138.
The gross rental (including rates and taxes) for the year was £352,028. From this
amount should be deducted the losses arising out of empties and rent irrecoverable.
The financial result of the year's working, after providing for interest and sinking
fund charges on the capital expenditure, was a surplus of £52,390, as compared with