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46
No. of such cases turned down owing to inability to pay
rent, etc. 9
No. of such cases remaining to be dealt with 7
The Council have at all times only rehoused bona fide residents
of the Borough of Walthamstow, but having regard to the large
influx of other residents into the Borough of Walthamstow and who
have subsequently applied for Council houses it has been found
necessary to restrict the allocation of houses to residents who have
resided in Walthamstow at least seven years consecutively up to the
time the allocation is made."
In addition, the Council have recently adopted a maximum
scale of income to apply to future applications.
General Observations.
The extent of overcrowding in the Borough is fully discussed
under the Census returns earlier in the Report.
Unfortunately, the Scheduled Clearance Areas referred to in
the two previous Reports have not yet been dealt with and the
necessary enquiries by the Ministry of Health have not yet been held.
The new houses and flats which had been erected to meet the needs
of the Housing Act, 1930, have, therefore, been let to ordinary
tenants except for seven which have been earmarked to rehouse
families from individual unfit houses.
Investigations recently carried out in another area have disclosed
the unexpected fact that the death rate amongst families
rehoused under ideal conditions from a slum area was 8.5 per
thousand above that of similar families in a comparable uncleared
slum area. The increased death rate was chiefly found in the age
group 65-75, closely followed by the age groups 25-45 and 45-55.
Analysis of the dietaries of the families concerned showed a general
deficiency in protein, directly due to the increased rent demanded
under the new housing conditions. The definite conclusion was
reached that rehousing was not advantageous unless the family
budget allowed 7s. per adult per week for food. In many of the
families reviewed it was found that only 2s. 10£d. was being spent
per person per week. Rehousing at the expense of nutrition cannot
be too carefully guarded against.
The results of the 1931 Census as to the general housing position
in the Borough is fully discussed earlier in the report.
E.—INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD,
(a) Milk Supply
The average number of cows kept in the district was 14. The
cowsheds numbered two and 31 visits were paid by the Sanitary