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12
Over-crowding, and Reform of the dwellings of the
Wage-class.
Over-crowding has been abated in all instances
where it can be discovered. It unfortunately happens
that in many of the newly-built streets, houses which
now contain four, five or more holdings or distinct
families, were originally designed for one family. In
these houses, provided with kitchens, parlours, drawing
room, and bed rooms, each floor or single room contains
often a separate tenant. The front rooms average
about 2000 cubic feet, the back rooms about one-third
less, 1100 to 1200. In this limited area, a man, wife,
and five or six children, have occasionally to live, who,
with the bedding and furniture, and cooking utensils,
have scarcely standing room. What must be the state
of its atmosphere at night, with closed doors and
windows—and how strongly it becomes impregnated
by contagion when Scarlet fever or a contagious malady
breaks out, it is not difficult to imagine.
Examples:—At 16 Hermitage-street, a front parlor
was occupied by man, wife and four children, with 880
cubic feet space—little more than 100 each. At 19
Netley-street, nine in a family occupied the front
kitchen. At 29 Hall Park, man, wife and seven children,
several lying ill of fever, had 1773 cubic feet
space. These latter, through the kindness of the Society
for organizing Charitable Relief, were sent into the
country for change of air.
Before I entered office under the Vestry in 1867, a
proposal was made to adopt the 35th Section of the
Sanitary Act of 1866. This gives power, under