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40
Houses let in Lodgings.
This matter can in no sense be said to be in abeyance, although
up to the present time no house has been placed on the Register.
In my opinion this provision in the Public Health Act, if not the
most important, is of immense value to a parish like ours. During
the past few years I have represented on many occasions a list of
houses in my opinion suitable ones for being brought under the
operation of the regulations, and the list has always been referred
to the Sub-Committee dealing with this subject. Many meetings
have been held and owners have over and over again been
requested to furnish the particulars referred to in the regulations,
and many of the owners have attended before the Sub-Committee
to state their objections, yet still nothing definite in the way of
registration has taken place.
We know that at least 80 per cent. of the houses in this parish
are let in lodgings, and it has been thought by those opposed to
this registration that a large number of the better kind would
possibly find a place on the Register, also that a midnight visit
would be paid so frequently as to make life in such a house
unbearable. It has further been asked why cannot we get everything
that is needed under the Public Health Act, and so avoid
the stigma upon a habitation of being called a lodging house. I
may answer to these and many similar misconceptions that no
reasonably intelligent person would ever think that the better class of
houses would be selected for this work. Naturally, it would only
be the debased property, always more or less out of repair, that
would be registered. Then, as regards midnight visits, I do not
think these would be made with that frequency as to spoil the
tempers or health of our parishioners. The regulations simply
give a better opportunity to the Local Authority to keep in repair
property more or less insanitary by periodic cleansing and attention,
which could only be effected after much difficulty if, in every case, a
nuisance dangerous to health had to be proved. I believe that
this alarm about houses being placed under the Regulations for