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74
I have, with the help of the Sanitary Inspector, analysed
the records of the 443 house-to-house inspections, made during
the year. Of these, we have selected those houses which appeared
to be most crowded. It must be understood that the
numbers refer to ordinary dwelling-houses which were not
especially selected for inspection for this report. The average
number of persons "per house" (for the whole district) formed
at the last census was 5.1; other figures are not obtainable.
We have considered the average number of persons per room
for the whole house and per bedroom, the following being a
tabulated statement of the results of this analysis:—
Total number of houses (selected from 443
house-to-house inspections, but not
selected localities) 100
Average number of occupants per house 8.67
Total number of occupants 867
Total number of rooms (living and bedrooms) 540
Total number of bedrooms 289
Average number per bedroom 3.00
Average number per room 1.6
It should be borne in mind that the number of rooms
are those recorded by the Inspectors as a result of the inspection.
In the forms used by the Census Officials, the number
of rooms is filled in by the occupier, who not infrequently
count the scullery and bathroom, and as these figures cannot
always be checked, the number of persons per room is probably
somewhat under-estimated in the census returns.
I myself am inclined to pay more attention to the average
number of occupants per bedroom, as this appears to me to be
a very important matter when considering housing in relation
to health. An average of 3.0 occupants per bedroom is not
by any means a low one. When all the circumstances are considered,
there can be little doubt that there is a fair number
of crowded, if not actually over-crowded, houses in this district.
I must make it quite clear that these inspections were