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establishment of the London General Omnibus Company's
Repair Depot at Gunnersbury—immediately on the border
of the district—with its large numbers of workers, the
majority of whom have to come from considerable distances,
may reasonably be expected to increase considerably the
population if only the housing accommodation was available.
2. Overcrowding.—That considerable overcrowding
does exist cannot be denied. While perhaps the legal limits
allowed under the Public Health Acts are only exceeded in a
few isolated cases, from a hygienic and health point of view
there is certainly much cause for complaint. Many small sixroomed
houses, originally built for one family, have been
converted into two flats and let to two families. These flats
have of necessity a common front door, and in many cases
only one W.C. The Council—by virtue of powers under the
Chiswick District Council Act, 1911—have seen that these
flats are provided with separate sinks and water supply
direct from the main. Unfortunately, many of these flats
have again been sub-let by the tenants, causing the unhygienic
overcrowding referred to above. The causes directly affecting
the matter are no doubt intimately connected with the
scarcity of suitable accommodation to be let at a reasonable
rent, the fact that workers must reside near their work, and
also that Chiswick workers born and bred in the town have
a natural antipathy of going farther afield.
No legal action has been taken with regard to actual
overcrowding cases dealt with by this Department, but
adjustments of the sleeping accommodation made, and where
possible, additional accommodation provided either by the
superior tenant or landlord.
3. Fitness of Houses.—The general fitness of the
houses throughout the area is of a very fair standard.
Reference to the statistical tabular statement given below
will show that no Closing Orders were recommended. There
are, however, a certain number of houses in the district that
must be dealt with in this way in the near future.
The systematic annual house-to-house inspection of
large numbers of the artizan type of house—which has been a
feature of the work of this Department for a number of years
past—certainly considerably assists in maintaining these
houses in at least a reasonable state of repair and hygienic