View report page

41
It is appreciated that section 36 of the Act empowers
a local authority to require the owner of such
properties to reduce the number of occupants and to
carry out works to render the house fit for the
occupation of the families dwelling therein, having
particular regard to the features of section 4 relating
to natural lighting, ventilation, water supply, drainage
and sanitary conveniences and the means of
storing, preparing and cooking food and for disposing
of waste water.
The Borough Council decided that these premises
be dealt with rigorously and to this end required the
provision of water supply, sink with drain, food store
and cooker, separate for each family with a water
closet for the joint user of each pair of families. This
resulted in a reduction of families in occupation and
an amelioration of the insanitary conditions.
This problem was not confined to coloured
families and was created undoubtedly by the landlord
whose responsibilities were confined to the immediate
and expedient object of making an investment pay
fIt behoves every authority to treat this difficulty
with the same seriousness as has the Ilford Council.
It will undoubtedly create hardship by the displacement
of families but the maxim that 'prevention is better
than cure' ought to determine these conditions. In
my view the all too frequent permission to allow one
sanitary convenience, one water supply etc. for the
common use of all the families in occupation is neither
sound sanitary practice nor conducive to a good standard
of living.
It may be that bye-laws for this purpose will
have to be re-introduced which would make it an
offence for an owner to let houses in contravention
of the promulgated rules.
Otherwise the comprehensive sanitary law was
administered satisfactorily by the Public Health
Inspectors at the instructions of the Council.