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Order upon any other house or building. The other provision relates
to outstanding Demolition Orders. Section 2 of the Housing Act, 1949,
empowered a local authority to apply to the Court to quash a Demolition
Order if it were satisfied that the house had been made fit for human
habitation. Under the 1949 Act, though, the last date on which the
owner could apply to the Court was the 31st July, 1950. Section 11 of the
new Act extends the period within which owners of houses on which
there are outstanding Demolition Orders may apply to the Council for
the quashing of the Demolition Orders to the 14th August, 1954.
Standard of Fitness
A Standard of Fitness was set out in the report of the Standards
of Fitness for Habitation Sub-Committee of the Central Housing Advisory
Committee. This is that a dwelling must:—
(i) be in all respects dry
(ii) be in a good state of repair
(iii) have each room properly lighted and ventilated;
(iv) have an adequate supply of wholesome water laid on for all
purposes inside the dwelling;
(v) be provided with efficient and adequate means of supplying hot
water for domestic purposes;
(vi) have an internal or otherwise readily accessible water-closet;
(vii) have a fixed bath, preferably in a separate room;
(viii) be provided with a sink or sinks with suitable arrangements for
the disposal of waste water;
(ix) be provided with facilities for domestic washing, including a
copper, preferably in a separate room ;
(x) have a proper drainage system;
(xi) be provided with adequate points for artificial lighting in each
room;
(xii) be provided with adequate facilities for heating each habitable
room;
(xiii) have satisfactory facilities for preparing and cooking food;
(xiv) have a well-ventilated larder or food store;
(xv) have a proper provision for the storage of fuel;
(xvi) have a satisfactory surfaced path to outbuildings and convenient
access from a street to the back door.
Overcrowding
At the beginning of the year the number of known cases of overcrowding
in the district was 229.
In March there were 55 houses known to be overcrowded by more
than one unit. Of these the home of one family was overcrowded by
4 units, two families were living in accommodation overcrowded by
3½ units, seven families by 3 units, six families by 2½ units, 14
families by 2 units and 25 families were living in accommodation overcrowded
by 1½ or more units. Some of these families already qualified