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Rehousing.
Owing to war conditions, the Council did not during the years 1915-20 carry
out any displacements consequent upon street improvement, clearance or education
schemes. During the years 1920-24, however, the Council rehoused 1,110 persons.
During 1924-25, 1,074 persons were rehoused, who had been displaced mainly by
the following schemes Tabard-street Scheme, Southwark ; Brady-street Scheme,
Bethnal-green; Ware-street Scheme, Shoreditch ; Wood-street Widening Scheme,
Westminster; Rowsell-street Scheme, Bow; and Hickman's Folly Scheme,
Bermondsey. Of these 1,074 persons, 241 were accommodated on the Tabard Garden
Estate, 224 on the Collingwood Estate, 172 on the White Hart-lane Estate, and the
remainder on other estates. The total number of persons rehoused up to 31st
March, 1925, was 3,940.
Transfers.
During the year 1,011 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. Mutual exchanges of tenancies are
facilitated at the request of, and in the interests of, the persons concerned, and a
special register is kept whereby it is possible to arrange transfers between Council's
tenants, when both parties are agreeable.
Removaland
empties.
During the year 796 tenants left, of whom 77 were given notice to quit, either
for non-payment of rent, unsatisfactory conduct or some other cause. The remaining
719 gave notice and left to suit their own convenience.
Enumeration
of tenants
and overcrowding
The annual enumeration ot tenants was taken in January, 1925, when it was
found that the actual population of the dwellings was approximately 82,000 persons,
which is greater than that of the metropolitan borough of Finsbury ; considerably
greater than that of the city of Bath, and almost as great as the combined populations
of the cities of Canterbury and Cambridge.
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 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 Non-Assisted Scheme tenements not complying with this standard was 313 out to
a total of 9,993 and in Assisted Scheme dwellings, 18, out of a total of 9,638. At last
year's enumeration it was found that 270 Non-Assisted Scheme dwellings and 17
Assisted Scheme dwellings exceeded this limit. The excess 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 the standard of overcrowding
laid down in the by-laws made under the Public Health Acts. The crowding
will be remedied as opportunities occur bv transfers to larger tenements.
Occupation
of tenants.
Particulars of the occupations of the tenants have been obtained. These
particulars, while conveying a general idea of the different occupations of the
tenants, in some respects do not adequately describe the nature of employment,
owing to the individual tenants, varying descriptions of their employment. The
information is obtained from the tenants who, it will be realised, do not in many
cases give clear and precise descriptions of their occupations. Thus, it is impossible
to say how many of the 268 tenants who describe themselves as "Conductors"
are tramway conductors or omnibus conductors, while 399 tenants describe
themselves as "Motor Drivers" and 231 tenants simply as "Drivers." For
example, also, the description "Civil Servant," probably includes such
employees as postmen and messengers as well as clerical employees, while 746