View report page

87
vacated and closed, and the premises have since been put into a
proper state of repair.
Cecil Court.—After some delay and further communications with
the ground-landlord and his agent, the remainder of the houses were
vacated and closed. The whole of the Court is to be pulled down
and re-built.
In my fortnightly report of March 4th, I brought under your
notice a case of overcrowding, and in so doing pointed out the
hardships the poor had to contend with in respect to house
accommodation. I addressed you as follows:—
"I have to draw your attention to a case of overcrowding on the
first floor front at 10, Turner's Court. The cubical contents of the
room are 1190 ft. This space, according to the regulations of houses
let in lodgings, would accommodate three adults if used for a day
and night room, and four adults if used only as a sleeping room.
On my visiting the place I ascertained that the room was used as a
day and sleeping room, and was occupied by a man, wife, a girl 10
years of age, a boy of 8 years of age, a boy of 7 years of age, a
girl of 5 years of age, and a girl nearly 3 years of age, in all 2
adults and 5 children. For this room they paid 4s. 6d, per
week, which is equivalent to £11 14s. per annum. Formerly
these people rented both back and front rooms, but in consequence
of the man's precarious earnings, he was compelled to
give up the back room; I should state this man is employed as a
porter in Covent Garden Market. I have detailed this case thus
fully to show you the crying and urgent necessity of providing the
poorer class with decent and wholesome dwellings at a reasonable
rent compatible with their means. The rent they now pay for their
miserable rooms and accommodation is exorbitant, and when you
consider the precarious earnings of the poor, the claim for rent
presses very harshly upon them. How can it be expected that
children brought up in such surroundings will turn out good men and
women?"
The above cited case is a type of many thousands in London.
With the demolishment of so many houses occupied by the poor,
they are driven away to overcrowd other neighbourhoods. What is