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29
road. Others falling into this group are shop properties, where
in some cases the owner of the shop resides in the house. Some
of these houses are at present empty, and an undertaking
has been entered into by the owner that the properties will not
be relet. The only other properties which, at the moment, could
be demolished as being incapable of being rendered fit at a reasonable
cost, are mostly situated in the rural parts of the district.
There are some half-dozen of these which are inhabited by families
which are deemed incapable of paying a higher rent than the very
low one they pay at the moment, and where the wage-earner,
if any, is locally employed. There is no alternative accommodation
to offer these in the neighbourhood of their present homes. Some
are occupied only by aged persons, and in such cases an endeavour
is made to obtain an agreement from the owner that he will not
relet them should they become vacant.
The following is a copy of the return made to the Ministry
of Health on form "Housing 129" on Slum Clearance under the
1930 Housing Act:—
1. Clearance areas Nil
2. Improvement areas Nil
3. Individual houses to be dealt with
under section 19 of the Act:—
Number of individual houses proposed
to be demolished under section
19 54
Number of persons to be displaced
from such houses 200
Number of new houses proposed in Covered by last
connection with these displacements section of the
Council's housing
scheme.
Appeal against Demolition Order.
In the Report for 1933, a case is referred to where the owner
of the property appealed against a Demolition Order made under
Section 19 of the 1930 Act. The judgment of the Court was that
the owner was to carry out the work deemed necessary by the
owner's Surveyor and the Council's Surveyor, or failing agreement
between them, by an independent Surveyor. The work having
been done to the satisfaction of the Arbitrator, the case was
returned to the Court and dismissed without costs. Owing to
the extent of the gross sanitary defects still unrectified, it is
Proposed that action should be taken under the Public Health
Acts,