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30
There have been no important changes in the character of the
population during the period under review, and so far as one can
anticipate, the District will always remain a kind of dormitory to
London.
During the year under review, the Council received sanction
from the Ministry of Health to erect 30 houses—at a rental of about
18s. per week—on the Housing Estate in White Hart Lane, to deal
with cases of overcrowding brought to their notice by this Department.
They have also under consideration the desirability of
erecting further houses or flats on this Estate.
The Artisans, Labourers and General Dwellings Company
are also contemplating the building of 15 or more houses on their
Noel Park Estate, which are to be let at a rental and not for sale.
What appears to me to be really necessary is a better provision
for the accommodation of the bona fide working classes at reasonable
and economic rents. Some kind of communal dwellings arranged
in flats of self-contained suites of rooms; and such buildings might
be constructed on four sides of a square in order to get through
ventilation for each tenement, with a large open garden space in
the centre. The London County Council have adopted something
of this kind near the Eastern side of our boundary in Lordship
Lane, and such a scheme might very well be considered. At the
time of writing this, our own Council have built 20 houses in Rivulet
Road, and 10 more are in the course of construction, which are of
satisfactory design and sufficiency; but they seem to me not to
meet the case of many of our applicants, who are unable to afford
the rent required, and yet who need them badly.
It is somewhat strange, but according to our own figures together
with those of the Registrar-General, the population of this
District has increased but little during the last 10 years, as will
be seen by the figures given below; and yet during that time a
large number of houses have been built, showing that overcrowding
is gradually being overcome by increased accommodation.