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14
PARLIAMENTARY BOROUGH OF LEWISHAM.
The consideration of the proposal of the Government to
constitute a Parliamentary Borough of Lewisham, under the
Redistribution of Seats Bill, continued into the year now
under review. As stated in the last Report, the Bill proposed
that such Parliamentary Borough should consist of
the whole of the District of the Lewisham Board of Works,
with the Parish of Lee added thereto, but subsequently the
Hamlet of Penge made strong efforts to be separated from
the Borough of Lewisham and placed in Camberwell, on the
ground that the Borough of Lewisham was in Kent, and the
Hamlet was in Surrey, and as the population of the proposed
Borough was much above the average, amounting to 84,000,
such efforts were ultimately successful, although this Board
felt bound to oppose them. This Board also endeavoured to
obtain the Beckenham Sewerage Area to be included in the
proposed Parliamentary Borough, as this area, commonly
called the Beckenham tongue of land, separates the District
like a wedge, and it was felt that great difficulty would be
experienced by the ratepayers in ascertaining in which
Parliamentary Borough they were situate, but as such
Sewerage Area was not within the boundary of the Metropolis
such application failed. The Parliamentary Borough
of Lewisham, therefore, now consists simply of the Parishes
of Lewisham and Lee.
HOUSES LET IN LODGINGS AND OCCUPIED
BY MORE THAN ONE FAMILY.
During the year the Board have adopted Regulations
under the provisions of the 35th section of the Sanitary Act,
1866, and these regulations have been confirmed by the
Local Government Board. Such Regulations are printed and
can be seen at the Board's Offices. The same apply to all
houses let in lodgings, with the following exceptions:—
(a) Where for the purpose of any rate for the relief of the poor
the rateable value of the house exceeds £30, and the rent
or charge payable by each lodger, and exclusive of any