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conventional type of caravan but also old tram car bodies, old motor
lorries, obsolete ambulances and underground railway carriages, etc«
Some of the caravans in a yard are only a few inches apart. Many
of them are infested with vermin. A large proportion of the
inhabitants of these caravans are not of the nomadic class, but
through unemployment and lack of housing accommodation at a
small rental have to live in these conditions.
The majority of the vans are never moved out of the yard and
are really permanent dwellings.
Some idea of the overcrowding which exists may be gained by
the following facts.
One yard, 60 feet by 80 feet, contains 16 caravans. The average
cubic capacity of each van is 400 cubic feet and the average number of
occupants per van is five, equal to 3.5 adults (adult is a person over
ten years of age). The rents for a caravan range from 6s. to 10s. per
week. A person who owns his own caravan usually pays about 4s.
per week for standing room.
The conditions in most of the other yards are similar to those
quoted above. Each yard is supplied with water from the mains of
the Metropolitan Water Board, and there are usually one or more
water closets connected with the main sewer.
The infectious disease attack rate for the caravan population
was 13.9 per 1,000, as compared with the rate of 6.5 per 1,000 for
the whole population of the district.
RAG AND FLOCK ACTS, 1911 AND 1928.
There are no premises in the district in which rag flock is
manufactured.
SCHOOLS.
The supervision of the public elementary schools is under the
control of the Education Department of the Surrey County Council.
The sanitary fittings, etc., however, are inspected periodically
by the Sanitary Inspectors.