View report page

38
SECTION D.
HOUSING.
The housing problem in the Borough is still a serious and
difficult one for the Council to deal with. As pointed out last
year the area is practically "built up" with very little land
available for building purposes to meet the situation either
within the confines of the area or immediately adjoining it. The
fact that there are within the Borough many large modern
factories and that a large percentage of their employees live
outside the Borough has a marked bearing on the housing
question, private properties which may become vacant being
rapidly snapped up.
The coming into operation of the Housing Act, 1935, with
the obligation 011 the Local Authority to relieve overcrowding
that existed 011 the "appointed day", together with the fact
that the Council's Slum Clearance programme has not yet been
completed, has imposed an,exceedingly difficult task upon the
Council. The subject, however, has been strenuously attacked,
and I believe it safe to say that the problem, so far as Slum
Clearance and overcrowding are concerned, will be satisfactorily
dealt with in the near future.
A new and important Act of Parliament, viz., the Housing
Act, 1936, came into operation 011 January 1st, 1937. This
Act, however, does not contain any drastic legislative requirements,
but repeals and re-enacts in consolidated form the
provisions of the Housing Acts, 1925, 1930 and 1935.
Prior to the passing of this Act, housing legislation had
become extremely complicated and the new Act assembles in
appropriate sequence the various parts of the housing code
previously distributed among the three earlier Acts.
It will be remembered that the principal object of the
Housing Act, 1930, was to simplify the procedure and to
facilitate the task of clearing away existing slums (Slum
Clearance Areas) and to prevent the creation of new slums,
while the main object of the Housing Act, 1935, was to deal
with the all important question of overcrowding. This latter
Act required the Local Authority to make a survey of their
district to ascertain the number of families living under overcrowded
conditions in accordance with a standard laid down, and