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58
In the course of general inspection work
throughout the district 88 cases of overcrowding
were discovered during the year and reported to the
Public Health Committee.
These cases were all cases of overcrowding on
the basis of a minimum allowance of 400' cubic feet
for an adult and 200 for a child in a room used as
a living and sleeping room and 300 cubic feet per
adult and 150 per child in a room used for sleeping
only. It has been found, however, that in Hendon
the "2 persons per room" standard and the above
cubic capacity standard give very similar results.
(2) Causes.
I know of no cause of overcrowding of any importance,
except the shortage of housing accommodation.
There is a constant demand for housing
accommodation on the part of young men resident
with their parents who wish to marry and set up
house for themselves and of people who wish to move
into the district. This demand has not been met
in recent years by the building of houses by private
enterprise, so far as working-class houses are
concerned.
The result has been a large amount of sub-letting
of one or two rooms in a house, and consequent
overcrowding in the portion occupied by the tenant
or the sub-tenant or both.
(3) Measures taken or contemplated for dealing with
Overcrowding.
See the Table given above showing the houses
built or projected under the Council's schemes.
(4) Principal cases of overcrowding during the year
1925, and the action taken.
It has not been possible to take any action in the
majority of cases of overcrowding discovered during
the year.
23 cases have been abated through the granting
of Council houses.