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61
It will be observed from those figures that the Local Authority
has in the last five years provided 382 dwellings, which have been
let to persons living in overcrowded conditions.
As a result of people from outside the district crowding into
houses situated in Barking, it was found necessary to introduce a
residential qualification in order that applications from such new
residents should not receive prior consideration.
Proceedings were instituted in two cases of overcrowding.
The families concerned each occupied one room in a tenement
house. In one instance there were eight persons in family and in
the other six persons. The magistrate made an Order in each case.
There is at the present time considerable demand for houses
of the two bedroom, non-parlour type. There is no doubt that this
small house is favoured rather on account of its low rent than on
account of its social amenities.
It does, however, appear that a reasonable social standard can
be maintained by many small families in such houses, and because
this is so we favour the building of houses of this sort.
It is obvious that people cannot afford to pay more than onesixth
of their income as rent and rates, so that even for people
earning so much as £3 per week a maximum of ten shillings only
can be allotted for this purpose.
(c) Fitness of Houses.— The defects existing are as indicated
in the summary of sanitary work carried out.
Under the present restricted rent conditions owners are
unwilling to carry out even minor repairs without notices. Much
of the maintenance repair work follows the issue of informal notices,
but in many instances where major repairs are required it is necessary
to serve formal notices.
During the past year we have been successful in getting
carried out extensive re-pointing of brickwork to whole terraces
of houses and considerable painting of external woodwork where