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11
Summonses were at once applied for and obtained against
the seven owners and occupiers, and on October 15th the
Clerk, your Inspector, and myselt, attended the Thames Police
Court; alter several adjournments the magistrate heard the
evidence of your Inspector, and held that " unless it could be
proved that these underground rooms were exclusively occupied
as living and sleeping apartments, by the occupants summoned,
there could be no case against them; and as regards the owners,
it must be proved that he let such underground rooms, as
separate dwellings, that being the magistrates decision,and as
we were not prepared to prove such facts, the cases were dismissed
without costs.
It is much to be regretted that the Act is so weak when such
a vital question is at stake as the hygienic condition of the
masses, more especially those of tender years, it seems absurd
to think the legislature intended that a man could say, rent a
cellar and a top attic in a house, and should be allowed to let
his family sleep in such cellar, simply because he did not use
the cellar exclusively for living and sleeping purposes ; I
may say as far as our district is concerned, this Section of the
Act will to a large extent be inoperative as the difficulties in
proving what is required are very great, especially as most of
these rooms are occupied by foreign Jews, who are frequently
moving from one district to another. After the above decision
the Vestry very wisely resolved to call the President of the
Local Government Board's attention to the matter, and it is to
be hoped the Act may be amended very speedily.
SANITARY LEGISLATION DURING THE YEAR 1890.
During the year 1890 two most important Acts have been
passed ; I refer to the Housing of the Working Classes Act,
and the Infectious Disease Prevention Act. The first named
Act is divided into Part I. and Part II. Part I. deals principally
with unhealthy areas, and is no doubt meant to refer to large
areas that are of Metropolitan as well as Local importance.
Part II. may well be sub-divided into at least three parts. First,
single buildings that are unfit for human habitation, either
temporarily or permanently. Secondly, obstructive buildings;
Thirdly, small'insanitary areas, in fact one might say that part
two of the Act applies only to such houses and small areas, as
are of primary importance to each locality.
Under Section 30 of the Act it states " It shall be the duty of
the Medical Officer of Health of every district, to represent to
the Local Authority of that district any dwelling house which
appears to him to be in a state so dangerous or injurious to
health, as to be unfit for human habitation." It is also made
competent under Section 31 " for any four householders living
in or near any street, to complain to the Medical Officer of