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attempt to compel an owner to carry out any patching repairs, however
urgent, with the result that the unfortunate families must suffer from
leaking roofs, rotten flooring, and other serious defects whilst awaiting
rehousing and, presumably, still paying rent.
Another most unsatisfactory feature is the state of affairs where
several families are accommodated in one house. Adequate powers are
now available to require the provision of proper and separate facilities
where necessary. However, as an alternative to providing the extra facilities,
the owner can now take action to reduce the number of occupants,
and in order to do so can secure the eviction of any of the individuals, or
households, in the house. The Rent Restrictions Acts cease to protect
tenants in these circumstances. As the Council could not, usually,
rehouse these tenants if evicted, it becomes obvious that the power given
to improve the lot of these people cannot be used in case the enforcement
weapon should recoil on them. In many cases the owners would
be only too willing to get rid of these sub-tenants so that they would be
free to exploit the housing shortage in some other, more profitable, way.
There have been comparatively few applications for Certificates
of Disrepair under the Repairs Increase provisions. There has been no
noticeable improvement in the standard of maintenance of rented
property, for the cost of repairs to old property continues to be
prohibitive.
Owing to staff shortage, and other calls on the time of the Inspectors,
little has been done in the way of routine House to House Inspections.
The number of complaints about defects in houses has fallen and
tenants generally seem to be chary of asking for repairs to be carried
out, fearing this to be a prelude to an increase in rent.
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES
There were no special problems encountered during the year
with the exception of the resumption of the nuisance from small flies
in the Glentham Road area. These flies (Tanytarous gregarious) are
bred in and around the Reservoirs of the Metropolitan Water Board,
and control operations are rendered very difficult because of the necessity
of using only such materials as will not affect the purity of the
water. However, energetic measures were successful in mitigating the
nuisance. Up to the time of writing comparatively little trouble has
been experienced this year.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
Pollution by excessive smoke emission has been confined to those
processes the nature of which do not lend themselves to complete and
satisfactory combustion. Complaints were received both in respect of
the Refuse Destructor chimneys and the Crematorium. In both cases
the plant is operated with all practical steps being taken to minimise