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The Public Health Department has been closely engaged
during the last few years in securing the satisfactory reinstatement
of old dilapidated houses, many of which would soon have been
completely beyond repair. With the assistance of the Public
Health Committee and the Council they have achieved a great
deal. But, though of great value, this work has not been in any
way a positive contribution to the housing problem : it has not
made the general position any better, but it has certainly
prevented it from getting worse.
In 1945 the Housing Committee expressed the opinion that
the amount of land in the Borough which would be needed for
housing purposes was 100 acres. Translated into housing
accommodation this represents approximately 1,000 houses or
housing units.
It is doubtful, for reasons which I have given, whether a
waiting list could ever be completely eliminated, but the provision
of this 1,000 units would profoundly affect the present most
unsatisfactory position, and would reduce the waiting list to
manageable proportions.
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