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3. Action under Statutory Powers during the year:—
(a) Proceedings under Sections 9, 10 and 16 of the
Housing Act, 1936:
(1) Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which
notices were served requiring repairs 8
(2) Number of dwelling-houses which were rendered
fit after service of formal notices:
(a) By owners 3
(b) By Local Authority in default of owners 1
(b) Proceedings under Public Health Acts:—
(1) Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which
notices were served requiring defects to be
remedied 31
(2) Number of dwelling-houses in which defects were
remedied after service of formal notices:
(a) By owners 15
(b) By Local Authority in default of owners 1
(c) Proceedings under Sections 11 and 13 of the Housing
Act, 1936:—
(1) Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which
Demolition Orders were made 15
(2) Number of dwelling-houses demolished in pursuance
of Demolition Orders 4
Housing Act, 1936—Part IV—Overcrowding
Twenty-seven inspections were made of suspected cases of overcrowding.
It might be appropriate here to draw attention to the fact that
in the majority of the cases investigated it was found that overcrowding,
as fined in the Housing Act, did not exist.
Investigation of these alleged cases of overcrowding again brings to one's
Notice the conditions arising from the shortage of housing accommodation.
As has already been stated, no actual overcrowding existed, but very
cramped conditions prevailed owing to the fact that two or more families
were occupying a house normally accommodating one family. Such conditions
are fully appreciated by Public Health officials and other welfare
workers, but unfortunately the general masses of the population do not
realise the extent to which houses formerly occupied by one family now
house two or more families, and it is difficult to visualise when normal
conditions of one family per house will be resumed.
The cramped condition of some of these houses has to be seen to be
believed, because the young married people purchase furniture for their
own and squeeze it into the limited accommodation at their disposal,
Cases have been known when it has been difficult for a small child to
even crawl about the floor because of lack of space.
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