View report page

121
herself acquainted with the fact of whether they were all
members of one family, and whether they lived there day and
night ?
17,576. She had in some cases, but in this particular case she
was not asked that question ? At any rate that would have been
remedied by our being made acquainted with it at the Vestry
Hall. We have had printed circulars for many years at the
Vestry Hall, one of which is served immediately on the owner,
and the overcrowding is remedied if our attention is called to it.
17,577. Then at question 1,426, Mr. Lyulph Stanley asked
questions of the same witness as to the condition of the houses
in Spencer Place, and the witness stated that those houses, the
bad description of which was stated at length, also belonged to
Mr. Ball?— Very likely. All houses are bad at times until the
time arrives for their being renovated and improved, and that is
so in the case of the smaller class of property more particularly.
17,578. Then in 1,428 Prime's Buildings was stated in the
question by Mr. Lyulph Stanley to be a very bad class of property
and in the next question, 1,429, it was said to be very much
overcrowded, and the school board visitor said that that was so;
and in answer to question 1,430 she said that that property also
belonged to Mr. Ball?— Did these complainants ever lodge a
complaint at the Vestry Hall, which is the proper place to make
any complaints, or to give notifications of this kind ?
*17,579. At question 1,415 this witness was asked : " Has the
"attention of the sanitary authorities of Clerkenwell been called
"to the state of these places," and her answer was, "Yes, some"time
back. (Q.) "Who called their attention to it ? {A.) I did.
"(Q.) Did they take any notice at the time ? (A.) They did
"not, at least no further than this : I asked the people in the
"house if they had been, and they said ' Yes,' and all they said
"was, 'Oh, throw a little water down.'" But that was with
regard to a particular case of smell, and not with regard to overcrowding,
of which I have spoken. You are not aware of the
working of the regulations under the Sanitary Acts ; for instance,
in the parish of Chelsea?— No; but I have had a copy of them
recently.
17,580. Do you know that the officers of the Vestry to which
I belong make an immense number of visits without any complaints
being made at all?— So do ours. We expect our
sanitary inspectors to take a general survey of their several districts
from time to time, irrespective of any complaints.
17,581. But then your objection that the state of those
cottages ought to have been described to the Vestry rather falls
to the ground, does it not, because your sanitary inspectors