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(xiii) have satisfactory facilities for preparing and cooking food;
(xiv) have a well-ventilated larder or food store;
(xv) have proper provision for the storage of fuel;
(xvi) have a satisfactorily surfaced path to outbuildings and
convenient access from a street to the back door.
Housing Act, 1936, Section 9.
A great deal of work continues to be done to secure the repair of
insanitary houses by the use of Section 9 of the Housing Act, 1936.
Many of the difficulties, however, and much of the delay would
be overcome if owners or agents would act on receipt of a preliminary
or intimation notice.
Negotiations with the War Damage Commission are often left
until the last minute, and applications for extension of time are not
infrequent for this purpose.
Although few, if any, appeals have been lodged with the County
Court, many instances occur where owners and agents are not prepared
to carry out the terms of the statutory notice.
It is the view of the department that once served the terms of a
statutory notice can only be varied by the County Court Judge. If,
therefore, owners who have suggestions to make as alternatives to
the notice would make them when only a preliminary notice has been
served, many of the difficulties would not arise.
Cases occur where it has been necessary to go over work which
has already been carried out by the owner, on the grounds that it has
not been done efficiently. One cannot be sure, however, what the
reaction of the judge would be in the case of an appeal.
In one case—mentioned in my last year's report—the learned
judge expressed the view that appearance did not matter so long as,
in this case, the wall was clean.
Supplies of materials are again becoming difficult, particularly
slates, timber and bricks.
During the year 1,016 statutory notices were served under
section 9 of the Housing Act, 1936, and in 106 cases it was necessary
to carry out the repairs in the owners' default. The cost of the