View report page

38
cent., though more or loss damp, dilapidated, and structurally
defective, were capable (at a heavy cost ) of being altered and
repaired, so as to be made fit for human habitation.
No less than 60 per cent. of the houses in the area are more or
less damp. This dampness is due to a variety of causes, such as
faulty roofs, defective pointing, bad condition or absence of rain
water pipes and guttering, improper position of the water tap,
which, in order to save a few feet of piping is frequently fixed
against the back wall of a house in such a position that the
drippings keep the bricks wet. Other causes of dampness are faults
in original construction, such as absence of damp proof courses, soft
bricks, and bad mortar. I am informed that when many of the
houses were built, refuse lime from soap works was used, instead of
quick-lime. This material (known as "Billy Sweet,") contains a
large percentage of glycerine, attracts moisture to itself from the
atmosphere and never dries. Some of the houses were built when
land was much cheaper than at present. They had largo yards
then, but the owners have since utilized this space by building
workshops upon them, or in other instances, dwellings have been
constructed in the yards, and the only means of obtaining access to
these, is by passing through the house in the main street. All the
houses built on yards are in bad condition.
There are a number of blind courts in the area, some of which
have back to back houses built all round, and are approached by a
narrow passage or by a covered entry. Houses so arranged or
thus encroached upon by other buildings, are incapable of proper
lighting or ventilation. About 21 per cent. of the houses examined
were found to be defective in this particular.
Many of the houses are insufficiently provided with proper
sanitary conveniences, 24 per cent. have either no yards, or the
yard space is insufficient, and the w.c. has to bo placed either inside
the house, or so close to the back door as to ventilate into the
living rooms. In about 10 per cent., the only access to the closet
in tho yard, is through a dark badly ventilated cellar.