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of April, 1936. When Survey B was made, 60 of 316 definitely
overcrowded lettings had become uncrowded, owing to a reduction
in the number of occupants which had in the meantime occurred
and that of the 1,362 possibly overcrowded, 174 were definitely
overcrowded on the basis of table 2.
There were, therefore, 430 lettings found to be overcrowded
in Survey B. The 430 overcrowded lettings were occupied by 2,034
persons over 10 years of age and 583 children between the age of
one and ten years. When the results of the Surveys were considered
by the Special Committee of the Council, it was decided that further
information should be obtained concerning the overcrowded
families, more especially as to the rent paid, whether the lettings
were controlled or decontrolled, and the presence of lodgers. This
further enquiry was carried out in August 1936, and it was found
that in the interval between the time Survey B was made and the
further inquiry in August, 80 of the lettings had become uncrowded
The primary object of these surveys was to ascertain in each area
every case of overcrowding which existed at the survey, together
with sufficient details relating to each case to enable the local
authority to formulate plans for dealing with the overcrowding
These surveys were intended to show the extent of the overcrowding
in the district, and the important sections under which
overcrowding was to be abated could only come into operation after
the appointed day had been fixed by the Minister of Health. The
"Appointed Day" was defined in Section 97 of the Housing Act
1935, as meaning "such day as the Minister may appoint and the
Minister may fix different days for different purposes and different
provisions of this Act and for different localities." The fixing of
an appointed day is provided for in various sections of the Act:—
(a) Under Sections 3, 4 and 8 of the Act, the appointed day
is the date after which overcrowding may constitute an offence
(b) Under Section 6, the appointed day is 6 months before
the date by which a notice in the prescribed form must be inserted
in every rent book.
The Minister decided to fix January 1st, 1937 as the appointed
day under Sections 3, 4, 8 and 68 in the case of all local authorities
whose survey under Section 1 of the Act disclosed a total number
of overcrowded families which was either under a hundred or was
less than 2 per cent. of the total number of working-class houses
in the district.