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20
Dampness
There was dampness to some appreciable extent
found in 328 houses. In some cases this was due to the
porosity of the bricks used, the aspect of the outer walls,
and the want of pointing. In other cases it was due to
defective guttering and down pipes, which allowed the
rain-water from the roof to run down the walls. Other
cases again were caused by defective slates in the roof,
while in some of the older houses the damp was due to
absence of a proper damp-proof course above the foundations.
Condition of Yards, etc.
In 241 houses the yards at the back were found to be
unpaved, or to have the paving broken and defective, or
to be so laid as not to have a proper and sufficient fall to
carry off the surface water. As the Councilhave adopted
Section 25 of the P.H. Acts Amendment Act (1907), it
was possible, when a preliminary notice failed to result in
the defects being remedied, to serve a statutory notice
under this section; 104 such notices were served, and by
the end of the year 78 had been complied with.
Disposal of Refuse.
In each of the 114 cases where there was a defect in
this matter, it was due to the absenceof a proper sanitary
dust-bin with cover. Various kinds of substitutes were
in use, buckets, zinc baths, pails, and wooden boxes,
none of them being provided with a properly fitting
cover; 238 notices were served to provide proper dustbins,
and in 197 cases were complied with.
Other Matters.
In 534 houses some defect was found which could not
be classified under any of the preceding heads. These
were of various kinds; sink waste-pipes either not discharging
into a proper gulley, or broken oft at the point
where they issued through the wall, and allowing the
waste water to run down the wall; defective kerbs to gulleys;
absence of rain-water guttering; defects in floors,
wooden or paved; dilapidated walls, plaster, and ceilings;
and broken or defective window frames and doors.