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8
nothing short of demolition would be really satisfactory.
The repairs are being carried out and the houses will be
just habitable for a short time, when the Act will have to
be put in force again. Iu these cases I believe the best
procedure is to take proceedings before the magistrates as
soon as the Committee is satisfied that the representations
of the Medical Officer of Health are correct. Cases are
rarely brought before the Committee till persuasion has
failed and the owners either will not or cannot do what is
required.
The houses in Hawk's Road, previously reported on,
are being slowly put into passable condition. The owner's
attention will at once be called to this slow progress.
In other cases it has not been necessary to do more than
call the attention of tiie owner to the requirements and the
work has been done. This applies to certain houses in Elm
Road, Canbury Park Road and Shortlands Eoad.
The difficulty of effecting improvements under these
Acts is greatly increased by the fact that when repairs and
alterations are carried out in poor property, the rents are
almost invariably raised, and such raising of rents often
leads to rents in adjoining property being raised also. The
question of housing the poorest classes is becoming as
serious in Kingston as in other places. Houses let at 4s. 6d.
a week, ten years ago, are now let at 7s., and beyond more
frequent cleansing of ceilings and proper water supply to
closets, there is no appreciable improvement in the buildings.
It seems, therefore, the time has arrived when it is
my duty to offer some suggestions as to the way of improving
the housing accommodation for the poorest classes in
this town.
Some years ago, land was purchased in Oil Mill Lane
for an isolation hospital. As circumstances have arisen
which make it improbable that the whole of the land will
be required for hospital purposes, I would suggest that it
might be made serviceable for a housing scheme.