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41
In my Report for the year 1923 I recorded that 57
cases of overcrowding were known to exist at the end of
that year. On December 31st, 1925, only 26 houses were
known to be overcrowded. There are other cases, without
doubt, which have not been brought tp notice, but these
would not aftect the comparison, as there would be unknown
cases at the end of 1923 also. Thirteen cases of overcrowding
were abated during 1925.
During the last five years 290 houses have been erected
in the Borough, 82 of which have been erected by the
Corporation under the Housing Acts. In several instances
overcrowding has been abated by the granting of new
houses to the overcrowded tenants. Every endeavour has
been made in such cases to prevent re-letting of the rooms
so as to cause further overcrowding.
The causes of overcrowding in the Borough are many.
In some cases women gave up houses during the war when
their husbands were away on service and moved into one
or two rooms. At that time, with no children or perhaps
one only, the rooms they went to would not be overcrowded.
With the passing of time additional children have arrived
and overcrowding of the rooms has resulted.
There is also an increase in the industrial population
to account for some of the overcrowding. Several fairly
large works were erected in the neighbourhood during the
war and larger numbers of persons are employed in local
works now than there were ten years ago.
Many houses which were intended for the occupation
of one family only are sub-let to two or more families.
Six cases of overcrowding were added to the records
during 1925. Of these six, two were granted Council
houses, one moved out of Kingston, one abated the overcrowding
by varying the distribution of the occupants in
the rooms, and two remained overcrowded at the end of
the year. In the latter cases, Statutory Notices requiring
the overcrowding to be abated were issued.
(2) Fitness of Houses.
The general standard of housing in the Borough is good,
but there are a few small areas where, owing to various