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20
SECTION D.
HOUSING.
In my Annual Reports for some years I have stated
that the general standard of housing in the Borough was
good and I still adhere to this opinion.
There are no large areas comparable to the "slums"
found in industrial cities and towns, consisting of squalid
dwellings without sufficient light, ventilaton, proper sanitary
accommodation, closelv packed together around courts and
alleys, overshadowed by high adjacent buildings, etc.
Such conditions justify the term "slum" area, but
unfortunately the word "slum" is very difficult to define
and has been used very loosely of late in connection with
old property.
In Kingston most of the old property consists of twostorey
cottages either in pairs or terraces.. Some of these
cottages are very old and worn out, and can be dealt with
as individual houses under Section 19 of the Housing Act
1930, which gives the Local Authority power to order
demolition of insanitary houses or to accept an undertaking
from the owner that he will within a specified period carry
out such works as will, in the opinion of the Authority,
render the houses fit for human habitation.
Eleven houses were dealt with in this way, " ndertakings
"being given in three cases, while "demolition
orders " were made in respect of the other eight houses.
With regard to areas consisting of old property, the
difficulty of forming an opinion as to the standard required
to justify their representation as "Clearance Areas" is a
real one.
The Housing Act 1930, Section 62, gives a method upon
which to judge the fitness or unfitness of a dwelling house,
which is that it should be compared with "the provisions
of any byelaws in operation in the district, or the general
standard of housing accommodation for the working classes
in the district,"