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Torren's Act empowered Metropolitan Vestries to take proceedings for securing the
improvement or demolition of houses in a state dangerous to health, so as to unfit
them for human habitation, and also to deal with "obstructive buildings," i.e.,
buildings which, although not in themselves unfit for human habitation, were so
situated that by reason of their proximity to other dwellings, they either stopped
ventilation, or made, or conduced to make, such other buildings to be in a condition
unfit for human habitation, or prevented proper measures from being carried into effect
for remedying the evils complained of iu respect of them. Shaftesbury's Acts might
be adopted, subject to certain restrictions, by the London County Council in any
district, and enable the Council at the cost of the rates to provide lodging houses for
letting to the labouring classes. These last mentioned Acts had become, however,
practically obsolete. In London good work had been done at a very heavy expense
under Cross's Acts, but comparatively little action had been taken under Torrens's
Acts, the provisions of which, though admirable in design, had been found in practice
almost unworkable bv reason of the cumbrous and dilatory proceedings which they
required to be taken before an insanitary dwelling could be closed or demolished under
them, and the numerous opportunities which they afforded to the owners of appealing
against the decisions of the local authorities.
By Part II. of the present Act the procedure to be taken by local authorities under
Torrens's Acts has been materially simplified; and facilities have been given for the
carrying out of schemes for the reconstruction and rearrangement of insanitary
buildings on a smaller scale than was practicable, and by a less elaborate machinery
than was available under Cross's Acts.
Part I. of the present Act repeals and re-enacts Cross's Acts with certain amendments,
and Part II. corresponds in like manner to Torrens's Acts, and Part III. to
Shaftesbury's Acts.
The Bethnal Green Improvement Scheme, comprising some property in the Parish
is being carried out by the County Council under Part I. of this Act, whilst the Moira
Place and Plummer's Place area is being dealt with by the Vestry under Part II.
There is little in the Act to show of what size or value an area should be in order
to be treated by the County Council as a Metropolitan Improvement under Part I.,
except sec. 72, which provides that where an area only contains 10 houses, it cannot be
so treated by tbe County Council. Several clauses have been inserted in the new Act
providing safeguards against the payment of excessive compensation in respect of
dwellings taken either for the above purposes or for the purposes of improvement
schemes such as were formerly carried out under Cross's Acts, where dwellings have
been allowed to get into a state of defective sanitation or into bad repair, or where their
rentals have been enhanced by overcrowding, or by reason of the houses having been
used for illegal purposes. Provision has also been made for diminishing the expenses of
arbitrations, and exempting the local authorities from the payment of the expenses of
owners in respect of arbitrations in cases where such particulars of claims have not been
delivered prior to the appointment of the arbitrator, as would have enabled the local