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or thereabouts, totalling to 41.7% of the total area. There are
in round numbers 14,000 houses varying in area from those in
Harrow Street or Mitcham Street to the large houses in Portland
Place. For our purpose the average area of the individual house
may be taken as 65 square metres (699.7 square feet), which
gives 17.1 % of the total area as occupied by houses. The area
may therefore be thus divided:—
Open spaces 41.7 per cent.
Streets, yards, forecourts and gardens 41.3 „
Housing area 17.0 ,,
The number to convert area into cube of the houses may be
taken as three metres per floor, and the average number of floors
throughout the district may be put at 4; multiplying the 65
square metres by 12 gives an average of 780 cubic metres per
house, or 819 cubic metres (2,892 cubic feet) per head of the
population.
It is obvious, therefore, by taking the appropriate factor,
the aggregation of population in a pioneer city of bungalows,
or the many storeyed cities of the States, or cities like Paris, Vienna,
and St. Petersburg can in this way be compared, which has
hitherto not been done satisfactorily. Of course, exception can
be taken to the details of the calculation which does not presume
to be based on measurements of the greatest accuracy, and
different opinions may be held on the hypothetical factor of 3
metres to a floor; but these objections will not touch the
principle of the suggestion which is to substitute for the misleading
one dimensional expression that of a three dimensional
statement, supplemented by sub-division of the area as above
exemplified.
HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES ACTS.
The only case taken under the above Acts was that of 9,
Gee's Court, which was closed as unfit for habitation. The owner
subsequently executed considerable repairs and made it suitable
for occupation.
The John Street Dwellings by the close of the year were
nearly complete, and the Housing Committee satisfactorily settled
the scale of rents to be charged, with rules and conditions of
occupation. The scheme was adopted by the Council.
The Devonshire Place and Burne Street areas still remain
to be dealt with. A variety of plans for their subsequent developments
have been prepared under the direction of the Housing
Committee, and definite results may be with some confidence
expected in the ensuing year.