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20
General Housing Conditions.— The total number of houses in the
distr ct is about 8,200. About half these are considered to be houses
for the working-classes and are on our schedule for house to house
inspection. As during the war building gradually came to an end, it
cannot be said that any houses were built or in course of erection
during 1919. The demand for houses is great In the autumn there
were only about 20 empty (now less) in the whole district; most of these
were large, and a few shops. Many smaller houses are occupied by
more than one family owing to the house shortage. The measures
taken to meet the shortage mainly consist of the Council's Housing
Scheme, which has bee i approved by the Ministry of Health and has
made such progress that a considerable number of houses wiil probably
be erected in 1920, Some plans have been approved for dwellings to be
built by private individuals, and work on these has been started
at Blackbrook Lane and Page Heath Lane.
OVERCROWDING.
There is very little that may be fairly called overcrowding, though
there are frequent instances such as a family of six or seven in
a cottage of four small rooms or 10 to 12 in a small house of six
rooms. In other casts persons have to be satisfied with unfurnished
rooms or furnished.apartments because they are unable to find houses
for themselves.
FITNESS OF EXISTING HOUSES.
'! here is a considerable proportion of cottages in the district with
three small rooms and a scullery, and of the houses that may be styled
working-class houses most are without a bath. The absence of pantry
and cupboard room is also common, as well as sufficient daylight to
the stairs and passages. The Housing Inspection by the Sanitary Staff
during the past 25 years has been the means of bringing most of these
houses up to a good standard for sanitary arrangements, but many of
the carcases are very old, so that roofs, external pointings, chimney
stacks and floors require overhauling and repairing. During the year
82 houses here had either vertical or horizontal damp courses provided
to comply with sanitary notices to remedy the damp condition of the