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34
The Housing of the Working Classes Act.
The above Act is, as most of you are aware, a most stringent
one and its very stringency makes it very slow of locomotion.
Its provisions deal with single houses and also groups of houses,
with single houses that are unfit for human habitation these
either have to be made fit, otherwise they can be shut up and
demolished; groups of houses are taken as insanitary areas
and are demolished and better structures erected in their place.
I have, during the year made thirty-eight representations to
the Sanitary Committee of single houses under the Aft, and in
29 cases the houses have by structural improvements been made
habitable. One of the houses has been permanently closed and
eight have been re-modelled.
With the other part of this Aft we have made slow progress.
I did hope by this time to have been able to report that the
insanitary area, Lomas Building, had been finally dealt with,
but at present the matter is at a standstill. During last year
a public enquiry was held by an Inspector of the Local
Government Board, at the Vestry Hall, as to whether it was an
insanitary area under the Act, and after hearing all the
evidence, he reported that the Area was an insanitary one and
ought to be demolished. The Local Government Board in
giving their sanction to the scheme stipulated as a condition,
that the Vestry must rebuild to provide for the people displaced
(a number something like 60). Representations have been
made to the Board stating that there was ample accommodation
in the neighbourhood, and asking them to waive the
re-housing condition, and so the matter stands. I can only
hope that this condition will not be enforced; it seems to the
most casual observer absurd to provide for the small number
displaced in this manner and would be a waste of the ratepayers'
money. If these houses are not demolished under the
scheme I shall feel it my duty to make a vigorous attempt
to close the houses under the Public Health Aft, as some of
them are in a disgraceful condition.