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12
housing authorities list, but the gross conditions of over
crowding which were often found a few years ago, were
rarely met with. The sanitary inspectors continued to visit
all housing applicants before they were interviewed by the
Housing Committee.
Moveable Dwellings
The preliminary report of the 1951 Census was issued
during the year, and as the population of the district as
published is over 20,000 the provisions of section 345 of
the Middlesex County Council Act 1944 as amended by
the Middlesex County Council Act 1950 came into force.
These provisions give much better control over moveable
dwellings and require the authority's consent subject to
certain exceptions before a moveable dwelling may be
occupied or stationed on any land.
Without recourse to legal proceedings two small but
unsatisfactory colonies of moveable dwellings upon the
extremities of the London Airport were cleared.
Much less trouble was experienced with the wandering
gypsy. In previous years the department has pursued a
policy of persuading owners to make their land inaccessible
to gypsies' caravans and this, together with the closing of
land by building activity in the area appears to have borne
fruit.
Shops
The views of the shopkeepers and their staffs was
sought with regard to the fixing of a "late day" for the
district. After considering the replies received the Authority
made an order naming Friday as the late day for the
purposes of the Shops Act, 1950, and this order came into
force on the 2nd July 1951.
It was decided not to make an order in respect of the
half-day closing. Shopkeepers remain free to fix their own
day subject to the provisions of the Shops Act.