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21
Average per house—1.1.
Number of children under school age—468.
Average per house—0.5.
Houses with more than one family—102.
Houses with more than two persons per room above
14 years of age, 0; above 5 years of age, 8; at all
ages, 28.
Based on these figures, an estimate was made for all
cottages that there were 142 with more than one
family per house, and 48 with more than two persons
per room.
Overcrowding.—Several houses were in this state,
whilst a large number appeared to have but 3 or 4
residents.
The Housing Committee of the Council agreed that
plans for the erection of 100 cottages should be
prepared and sites selected.
From observation since October, 1919, it would
appear that the number of cottages with more than one
family is increasing.
FITNESS OF HOUSES.
The general standard is good.
The defects found were chiefly due to entrance of
damp through fault of roof, or gutters and rain-pipes.
These nuisances were abated on a preliminary notice.
Only 24 Statutory Notices had to be served.
There is difficulty in remedying the unfitness of 21
old cottages, and Closing Orders will be made as soon
as provision for housing the present occupiers is
completed.
There are also 43 seriously defective houses, upon
which considerable repairs must be carried out to make
them reasonably habitable.
Water supply and closet accommodation is
satisfactory, except in those houses which were built
for one family, and are now occupied by two or more
families.
There has been a great lack of attention to the
interiors of the smaller dwellings in the past few years.
Whitewashing and distempering has been left undone,
partly on account of labour shortage, and partly—In
the later years—on account of the great rise in cost of
such work in comparison with the fixity of rental value.