STPAN 5 Saint Pancras, London. HEALTH DEPARTMENT. HOUSES LET IN LODGINGS OR TENEMENT-HO USES. REPORT BY THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH upon Bye -laws for Houses let in Lodgings or Tenement-Houses. 1897. Saint Pancras, London. HEALTH DEPARTMENT. Vestry Hall, Pancras Road, N.W., 13th January, 1897. To the Chairman and Members of the Health Committee of St. Pancras Vestry. Mr. Chairman, Madam, and Gentlemen, In accordance with the resolution of your Committee referring to me the Report by the Medical Officer of Health of the London County Council, presenting report by one of the Assistant Medical Officers of Health, as to the operation of By-laws dealing with houses let in lodgings in London, and with the further resolution referring to me the circular letter, since received from the Clerk of the London County Council, enclosing an extract from a report of the Public Health Committee agreed to by the County Council on the 1st December, 1896, I beg to report as follows:— On the 1st December, 1896, the London County Council resolved— (a) That the Medical Officer be instructed to make a further inquiry at Midsummer, 1897, as to the extent to which By-laws or regulations dealing with houses let in lodgings are enforced in the several Sanitary Districts of London, with a view to the Council making a representation to the Local Government Board under vSection 101 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, in the case of any Sanitary Authority which is not by that time carrying out the provisions of Section 94 of the Act. (b) That a copy of this report, and of the Council's resolution thereon, be sent to each of the London Sanitary Authorities. By the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, Section 94 (1), every Sanitary Authority shall make and enforce such By-laws as are requisite for the following matters (that is to say)—(a), fixing the number cf persons who may occupy a house, or part of a house, which is let in lodgings or occupied by members of more than one family, and for the separation of the sexes in a house so let or occupied; (6), for the registration of houses so let or occupied; (c), for the inspection of such houses; (d), for enforcing drainage for such houses, and for promoting cleanliness and ventilation in such houses; (e), for the cleansing and lime-washing at stated times of the premises; (f), for taking of precautions in case of any infectious disease. (2) This section shall not apply to common lodging-houses within the Common Lodging Houses Act, 1851, or any Act amending the same. By Section 100 the County Council, on it being proved to their satisfaction that any Sanitary Authority have made default in doing their duty under this Act with respect to the removal of any nuisance, the institution of any proceedings, or the enforcement of any By-laws, may institute any proceeding and do any act which the Authority might have instituted or done for that purpose, and shall be entitled to recover from the Sanitary Authority in default all such expenses in and about the said proceeding or act as the County Council incur, and are not recovered from any other person, and have not been incurred in any unsuccessful proceedings. 4 By Section 101 (1) Where complaint is made by the County Council to the Local Government Board that a sanitary authority have made default in executing or enforcing any provisions which it is their duty to execute, or enforce of this Act, or of any bye-law made in pursuance thereof, the Local Government Board, if satisfied after due enquiry that the authority have been guilty of the alleged default, and that the complaint cannot be remedied under the other provisions of this Act, shall make an order limiting a time for the performance of the duty of such authority in the matter of such complaint. If such duty is not performed by the time limited in the order, the order may be enforced by writ of mandamus, or the Local Government Board may appoint the County Council to perform such duty. (2) Where such appointment is made, the County Council shall, for the purpose of the execution of their duties under the said appointment, have all the powers of the defaulting sanitary authority, and all expenses incurred by the County Council in the execution of the said duties, together with the costs of the previous proceedings, so far as not recovered from any other person, shall be a debt from the sanitary authority in default to the County Council, and shall be paid by the sanitary authority out of any monies or rate applicable to the payment of the expenses of performing the duty in which they have made default. (3) For the purpose of recovering such debt, the County Council without prejudice to any other power of recovery, shall have the same power of levying the amount by a rate, and of requiring officers of the defaulting authority to pay over money in their hands as the defaulting authority would have in the case of expenses legally payable out of a rate raised by that authority. (4) The County Council shall pay any surplus of the rate so levied, to, or to the order of the defaulting authority. (5) If any loan is required to be raised for the purpose of the execution of their duties under the said appointment, the County Council with the consent of the Local Government Board, may raise the same, and may for that purpose borrow the required sum in the name of the defaulting authority for the same period, on the same security, and on the same terms as that authority might have borrowed, and the principal and interest of such loan shall be a debt due from the defaulting authority, and shall be secured and may be recovered in like manner, as if the loan had been borrowed by that authority. (6) The surplus (if any), of any loan not applied for the purpose for which it is raised, shall, after payment of the expenses of raising the same, be paid to, or to the order of the defaulting authority, and be applied as if it were the surplus of a loan raised by that authority. In his Report, Mr. Shirley Murphy states that the opinions of those best qualified to judge, are strongly in favour of By-laws, that difficulties have disappeared where they have been seriously undertaken by "a sufficient staff provided for the purpose," that still better results would have been attained, "if larger use had been made of the power conferred by By-laws to proceed directly for penalty instead of adopting the method of serving notices." Saint Pancras, London. HEALTH DEPARTMENT. Vestry Hall, Pancras Road, N.W. 10th February, 1897. TO THE HEALTH COMMITTEE OF THE VESTRY OF ST. PANCRAS. Mr. Chairman, Madam, and Gentlemen, Open Spaces about Buildings I beg to call the serious attention of your Health Committee and of the Vestry to the fact that there is a prospect that in course of time the whole of the open spaces about buildings may disappear. At the present moment plans are being submitted for the approval of the drainage of premises proposed to be newly erected or re-erected. These plans show the whole of the ground area of the premises entirely covered in, and upon consulting legal references it appears that more recent changes in the building laws permit this course to be adopted, a course, the ultimate result of which will be a most serious matter for the health of London. In the Metropolitan Building Act, 1855, by Section 29 it was provided that every building used or intended to be used as a dwelling-house, unless all the rooms can be lighted and ventilated from a street or alley adjoining, shall have in the rear, or on the side thereof, an open space exclusively belonging thereto of the extent, at least, of an hundred square feet. In the Metropolis Management and Building Acts (Amendment) Act, 1882, by Section 14 it was provided that every new building on a new site, intended to be used wholly or partly as a dwelling-house, shall have directly attached, and in the rear, an open space exclusively belonging thereto of at least one hundred and fifty square feet, increasing according to the length of frontage to a maximum requirement of four hundred and fifty square feet, but the open space was expressly permitted to be entirely covered in up to the level of the ceiling of the ground floor story. In the London Building Act, 1894, although by Section 40 it is provided that a new domestic building, with a habitable basement, shall have an open space of not less than one hundred square feet (going back to the requirement of 1855), and that it may be erected upon up to the level of the adjoining pavement (going back to the requirment of 1882), yet in a new domestic building abutting upon an old street, and this includes houses to be rebuilt, that is, it applies to all London Streets existing at the commencement 2 of the Act in 1895, by Section 41 (2) the open space to be provided to the building may be entirely covered in up to a level of sixteen feet above the adjoining pavement, or in other words, no open space need be provided to the lowest floors, namely, the basement and ground floor, and possibly also an entresol of the house. Furthermore there is no requirement to provide any open space to public buildings, including schools, colleges, places of instruction, hospitals, workhouses, theatres, halls, public rooms, libraries, hotels, lodginghouses, homes, refuges, shelters, of greater capacity than 250,000 cubic feet, or to buildings of the warehouse class, including factories and workshops of greater capacity then 150,000 cubic feet, nor in any buildings constructed to be principally used as offices although dwelling-houses. The open space required about buildings built as or adapted for artisans' dwellings is specially provided for in the Building Act, but this will not benefit those who live in ordinary domestic buildings, whether as householders, or sub-tenants, or lodgers occupying one or more rooms, and who are a large majority of the population. In consequence of this continuously retrogressive legislation old houses possessing yards, areas, or open spaces in some form, at the front or back, or both, are being rebuilt in such a manner as to entirely cover the whole ground area two or three stories up, leaving not a particle of open space, not even a shaft for the purpose of allowing the drainage to discharge in the open, so that the health conditions of domestic buildings in London will rapidly become worse, and the bye-laws, regulations and directions of the County Council and the Sanitary Authorities, which are all devised so as to cause drainage to be excluded from or to be placed outside of, domestic buildings, are rendered useless by a Building Act which enables a domestic building to embrace the whole of the drainage of the premises within its external walls. The matter wears an even more serious aspect when considered on a wider basis. The words "open space," originally bore the common meaning of ground space, to most persons they still bear that common-sense meaning, and Parliament has attached that meaning to the words in the Open Spaces Acts, but in the later Buildings Acts the provision of open space has successively been lifted from the basement to the ground floor, thence over the first floor to sixteen feet above the ground level, and in due time may be made by future Acts of Parliament to ascend higher, so that eventually a house may be held to have supplied the necessary open space on the roof top instead of at ground level. I beg to submit that it is only by tracing the result to its logical conclusion, that the past, present and prospective perversion in the Buildings Acts of the meaning of open space can be fully understood, and the seriousness of the position realised. I have the honour to be, Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, JOHN F. J. SYKES. Medical Officer of Health. Printed by Order of the Health Committee, WILLIAM MALLISON, Chief Clerk. 5 In his Report Dr. Hamer states that he attempted " to learn whether or not the putting in force of a code of By-laws or regulations enables conditions to be dealt with which are not capable of being remedied, or can only with difficulty be remedied, under the general provisions of the Public Health Act." He refers to the evidence given before the Royal Commission on the Housing of the Working Classes in 1885, by the late Dr. Tripe, Medical Officer of Health, Hackney, where 5,000 houses were on the Register, who stated that the great advantage of having regulations was that proceedings could be taken for breach of regulations, and that it was not necessary in each instance to convince the magistrate that what was complained of was a nuisance injurious to health. He points out that, in the matter of cleansing, the specific requirements of the By-laws have been most useful. That, in the matter of overcrowding, the By-laws define overcrowding, that they enable penalties to be more easily obtained, and that they enable inspection to be made at other times than those specified in the general Act, that placing houses on the register tends to cause owners to reduce the number of occupants of tenements, but that in proceeding by notice to abate overcrowding " presumably what happens in many cases is that the persons merely transfer themselves from one tenement to another, while the amount of overcrowding in the district remains unaltered. That, in the matter of proceeding without notice, as regards cleansing, the experience is entirely favourable, and, as regards overcrowding it is also favourable, but full use has not hitherto been made of the power to proceed straightway for penalty on proof of infringement. Other matters can be dealt with by By-laws, but cleansing and overcrowding are the main questions. He concludes by indicating some difficulties, the first being that of insufficient staff for the systematic inspection of registered houses, the demand of other work upon the time of Sanitary Inspectors having prevented even Chelsea (with 1700 registered houses), and Hackney (with 5000 registered houses), these two authorities having regulations prior to 1885, from keeping their registers up to date; the second difficulty being that in Court the procedure is somewhat complicated, formal proof of registration is required, and change of ownership may delay proceedings, and in sub-letting, questions as to the person liable may arise. The Vestry of St. Pancras adopted By-laws for the regulation of tenement houses on the 16th July, 1890, and they were confirmed by the Local Government Board on the 30th of the following August. After the passing of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and the adoption of By-laws by the County Council for various purposes, and by the Vestry for various other purposes, it was deemed advisable to repeal the old and to adopt a revised set of By-laws. The revised By-laws were approved by the Vestry on the 27th September, 1893, and allowed by the Local Government Board on the 13th November following. In the revised By-laws certain provisions of the old By-laws were eliminated, namely,— 1. A provision as to the amount and kind of water-closet accommodation to be provided and maintained (clause 11), and as to the cleansing thereof (part of clause 16), these being provided for in By-laws of the London County Council under Sec. 39 (1) 6 Public Health (London) Act, 1891, more especially by clause 26, paragraphs 5, 1, and 4, and clause 27 of those By-laws, which apply to all dwelling-houses. 2. A provision as to the levelling, paving, and draining of yards in this class of houses, these points being provided for in the By-laws of the Vestry (clause 10) "as to the paving of yards and open spaces in connection with dwelling-houses," and applying to all dwellinghouses. 3. A provision as to the maintenance of ashpits and dustbins, this being provided for by clause 27 of the By-laws of the County Council as to maintenance under sec. 39 (1) Public Health (London) Act, 1891. The existing Bye-laws of the Vestry are set out below with remarks in Parallel Columns. Vestry of Saint Panrras. HEALTH DEPARTMENT. Public Health (London) Act, 1891. By-Laws. Made by the Vestry of the Parish of Saint Pancras, in the County of London, being the Sanitary Authority for the said Parish with respect to houses let in Lodgings, or occupied by members of more than one family. Interpretation of Terms. 1.—In these By-laws, unless the context otherwise requires, the following words and expressions have the meanings hereinafter respectively assigned to them, that is to say: — "Sanitary Authority" means the Vestry of the Parish of Saint Pancras, in the County of London. "Tenement-house" means a house let in lodgings, or occupied by members of more than one family. 7 "Registered-house" means a tenement-house entered on the register of houses kept under these By-laws. "Tenement" means any room or rooms in a tenement-house let as a dwelling or lodging, or for the use or occupation of a tenant. "Landlord" means the person (whatever may be the nature or extent of his interest in the premises) by whom, or on whose behalf, such house is let out to the actual occupiers thereof, or who for the time being receives, or is entitled to receive, the profits arising from such letting.* "Tenant" means a person to whom any room or rooms in a Registered House may have been let as a lodging or for his use or occupation. 2.—A Register shall be kept by the Sanitary Authority of all houses within the Parish, to which these By-laws may from time to time be applied. 3.—The Sanitary Authority shall cause notice to be served at any tenement-house with respect to which it shall be reported on by the Health Committee of the Sanitary Authority that such house ought to be registered under these By-laws and on the Landlord thereof, or, in case the Landlord cannot be found, or his agent or representative, that it is proposed to register the house under these By-laws, together with a copy of these By-laws; and such Landlord, agent or representative may, within seven days after the service of such notice, make any objection to the Sanitary Authority, in writing, against such intended registration; * Public Health (London) Act, 1891, Section 141. The expression " master " means in the case of a building, or part of a building, a person in occupation of or having the charge, management, or control of the building, or part of the building, and in the case of a house the whole of which is let out in separate tenements, or in the case of a lodging house the whole of which is let to lodgers, includes the person receiving the rent payable by the tenants or lodgers, either on his own account or as the agent of another person, and in the case of a vessel means the master or other person in charge thereof. 8 and in the event of no such objection being made, such house shall, at the expiration of fourteen days after the service of such notice from the Sanitary Authority, be deemed to be a Registered House; and in the event of any objection being received by the Sanitary Authority it shall be considered at a Meeting of the Sanitary Authority, and if the Sanitary Authority shall, notwithstanding such objection, resolve that such house shall be registered, then such house shall be deemed to be a "Registered House" from the date of such resolution. 4.—The Landlord of a tenementhouse proposed to be registered, shall, within a period of seven days after he shall have been required by a notice in writing, duly served upon or delivered to such Landlord, or, in case he cannot be found, his agent or representative, supply to the Sanitary Authority the information necessary for the registration of such house, on forms supplied for the purpose, and shall sign a true statement of the following particulars, with respect to such house; that is to say— (a) The number of rooms in the house. (b) The dimensions and use of each room and name of the Tenant. (c) The number, age, und sex of the occupants of each room used for sleeping. Space. 5.—No Landlord or Tenant of a Registered-House shall knowingly permit or suffer a greater number of persons than will admit of the provision of 300 cubic feet of free air space for each person to occupy at any one time as a sleeping apartment 4.— In the Register the facts as ascertained by the Sanitary Inspector, checked by the information obtained from the Landlord or his agent, are entered with regard to each house, and each room in the house, under the following heads:—As to the house : situation of the house, the name and address of the Landlord or his agent. As to each room in the house : the situation of each room as to floor, and whether front or back; dimensions in feet of the height, length, and width, and the cubic space of each room; for what purpose used, whether sleeping or living, or working; the number of persons sleeping in the room, stating separately the males over 10, females over 10, children under 10, and the total number, and the name of the tenant. As to subsequent notes; records of the Inspectors visits, and remarks. 5 & 6.—Factory and Workshop Acts, 1895. Section 1 (1): A Factory shall for the purpose of section 3 of the principal Act, and a Workshop shall for the purpose of the law relating to public health, be deemed to be so overcrowded as to be dangerous 9 a room in such house exclusively used for that purpose. 6.—No Landlord or Tenant of a Registered-House shall knowingly permit or suffer a greater number of persons than will admit of the provision of 400 cubic feet of free air space for each person to occupy at any one time a room in such house used both as a sleeping apartment and for some other purpose. Water Supply and Drainage. 7.—The Landlord of a RegisteredHouse shall provide an adequate supply of water for the use of the tenants thereof. 8.—No Landlord of a Registered House shall cause or suffer any cistern or pipe supplying water in the said house for drinking or for use in the preparation of food or for any other ordinary purposes, to have such connection with a drain or water-closet as may lead to the contamination of the water contained in such cistern or pipe. 9.—The Landlord of a Registered House shall keep all drains and drainage apparatus therein in proper working order and good sanitary condition. or injurious to the health of the persons employed therein, if the number of cubic feet of space in any room therein to the number of persons employed at once in the room a proportion less than two hundred and fifty, or, during any period of overtime, four hundred cubic feet of space to every person. 7.—Public Health (London) Act, Section 48 (1): An occupied house without a proper and sufficient supply of water shall be a nuisance liable to be dealt with summarily under this Act, and, if it is a dwelling house, shall be deemed unfit for human habitation. 8.—Regulations made under the Metropolis Water Act, 1871:— Reg. 14.—No overflow or wastepipe other than a " warning-pipe " shall be attached to any cistern supplied with water by the Company, and every such overflow or wastepipe existing at the time when these Regulations came into operation shall be removed, or at the option of the consumer shall be converted into an efficient " warningpipe " within two calendar months next after the Company shall have given to the occupier, or left at the premises in which such cistern is situated, a notice in writing requiring such alteration to be made. 9.—The Nuisance Section (2) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, the By-laws of the London County Council, and the Regulations as to drainage of the Vestry, provide for the control of drains and drainage apparatus. 10 V entilation. 10.—The Landlord of a Registered-House shall provide every habitable room and every passage and staircase thereof with means for enabling the Tenants to have and maintain proper ventilation, and shall keep the same in proper condition. Cleansing. 11.—A Tenant of a Registered House shall keep every room thereof occupied by such Tenant in a cleanly and wholesome condition. Every landing, passage, and staircase, and every court, yard, area, or other open space within the curtilage of a Registered-House, shall be kept in a cleanly and wholesome condition. Where one Tenant is entitled to the exclusive use of any or either of the before-mentioned places or appurtenances, the Tenant shall cause the cleansing to be done as often as may be requisite. Where two or more Tenants are entitled to the use in common of any or either of the before-mentioned places or appurtenances, the Landlord shall cause the cleansing to be done as often as may be requisite. 12.—No Tenant shall keep any animal in any room of a Registered House or elsewhere upon the premises, in such a manner as to render the condition of such room or premises filthy. 13.—The Landlord of a Registered House shall, once in every year, cause every part of such house and premises, including the cellars and yards thereof, to be cleansed. 10.— "Proper ventilation" and "proper condition" require defining. 12.—Animals are provided for in the nuisance section, 2 (1), [c] of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, which applies to all dwellinghouses and other places. 11 Except in such cases as are hereinafter specified, he shall at the same time cause every area, and the surface of every ceiling and wall of every water-closet belonging to the Registered House, and the surface of every ceiling and wall of every room, staircase, and passage therein to be thoroughly lime washed. Provided that the foregoing requirement with respect to the limewashing of the surface of the walls of rooms, staircases and passages shall not apply in any case where the internal surface of any such wall is painted, or where the material with which such surface is constructed or covered is such as to render the limewashing thereof unsuitable or inexpedient, and where such surface is thoroughly cleansed, and the paint or other covering is renewed, if the renewal thereof be necessary for the purpose of keeping the premises in a cleanly and wholesome condition. Inspection. 14.—The Landlord and every Tenant shall, at all reasonable times, afford free access to every part of a Registered House which shall be under their respective control to the Medical Officer of Health, or the Sanitary Inspector, or any other Officer appointed or authorised by the Sanitary Authority in that behalf. No Landlord or Tenant of a Registered House shall wilfully obstruct any Officer, or neglect or refuse to render such assistance as may reasonably be necessary for the purpose of inspection. 14.—"All reasonable times" requires defining. 12 Infectious Disease. 15.—In every case where, in pursuance of any statutory provision in that behalf, an order of a justice has been obtained for the removal from a Registered-House to a hospital of a person who is suffering from any dangerous infectious disease, and is without proper lodging or accommodation, the Landlord of such house, and the Tenant to whom any room whereof such person may be an occupant has been let shall, on being informed of such order, forthwith take all such steps as may be requisite on the part of such Landlord and of such Tenant, respectively, to secure the safe and prompt removal of such person in compliance with such order, and shall, in and about such removal, adopt all such precautions as, in accordance with any instructions which such Landlord and such Tenant, respectively, may receive from the Medical Officer of Health of the Sanitary Authority, may be most suitable for the circumstances of the case. 15.—Public Health {London) Act, 1891:—Sec. 66.—Removal to hospital of infected persons without proper lodging. (1).—A person suffering from any dangerous infectious disease who is without proper lodging or accommodation, or is lodged in a tent or van, or is on board a vessel, may on a certificate signed by a legally qualified medical practitioner, and with the consent of the superintending body of the hospital to which he is to be removed, be removed by order of a justice, and at the cost of the sanitary authority of the district where such person is found, to any hospital in or within a convenient distance of London. (2). The order may be addressed to such constable or officer of the Sanitary Authority as the justice making the same thinks expedient; and if any person wilfully disobeys or obstructs the execution of such order, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding ten pounds. (3).—Any Sanitary Authority may make By-laws for removing to any hospital to which that authority are entitled to remove patients, and for keeping in that hospital so long as may be necessary, any persons brought within their district by any vessel who are infected with a dangerous infectious disease. 13 Penalties. 16.—Every person who shall offend against any of the foregoing By-laws shall be liable for every such offence to a penalty of five pounds, and in the case of a continuing offence to a further penalty of forty shillings for each day after written notice of the offence from the Sanitary Authority. Provided that the justices or court before whom any complaint may be made or any proceedings may be taken in respect of any such offence may, if they think fit, adjudge the payment as a penalty of any sum less than the full amount of the penalty imposed by this By-law. Repeal of Regulations. 17.—From and after the date of the confirmation of these By-laws, the Regulations relating to houses let in lodgings, which were confirmed on the 30 th day of August in the year One thousand eight hundred and ninety by the Local Government Board, shall be repealed. Approved by the Vestry at a Meeting held on Wednesday, the 27th of September, 1893. The Common Seal of the Vestry affixed hereto in the presence of Thos. Eccleston Gibb, Vestry Clerk. Allowed by the Local Government Board this 13th day of November, 1893. Henry H. Fowler, President. Hugh Owen, Secretary 16.—It appears from this clause that these By-laws cannot be enforced except "after written notice * * * from the Sanitary Authority." 14 It is to be observed that the above By-laws apply only to tenement houses, but most of the corresponding provisions quoted in the parallel column apply to all dwelling-houses. The only material clauses of the above By-laws that are otherwise unprovided for in existing statutes or By-laws are those relating to air-space, ventilation, and cleansing. The clause referring to ventilation is not very definite; but of the other two, that relating to air-space fixes the minimum cubic space per head at 300 or 400 cubic feet, according to the usage of the room, and that relating to periodical cleansing fixes the maximum interval at one year. It will be desirable to further consider these and some other points in connection with the By-laws separately. Cubic-space and overcrowding.—It would be conducive to the better regulation of registered tenement houses if a single minimum standard of cubic space could be adopted instead of the varying amounts of 300 and 400 cubic feet. For instance, if 400 were adopted for all purposes and two children under 10 years reckoned as one adult, it would be possible to place on record in the Register the maximum number that a room and a house would be permitted to accommodate. This number would then be constant instead of continually varying, according to whether rooms are used for living or sleeping purposes, the variation often rendering the original records in the Register valueless, so far as numbers are concerned, almost as soon as entered. This single minimum standard would have a further advantage, since a house may be overcrowded as to its sanitary conveniences, etc., as well as in regard to its cubic-space, and it would be possible to fix the amount of sanitary convenience required to accommodate the maximum number of persons dwelling in the house. But it would be desirable to go even further than as suggested above, in defining by statute the minimum amount of cubic space per head permissible in dwelling houses. This has already been done with regard to factories and workshops in section 1 (1) of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1895, as set out in the earlier part of this Report, parallel with the By-laws as to cubicspace. The advantage of this course would be that it would apply to all dwelling-houses, and if the minimum standard were fixed as low as at present, it would prevent that degree of overcrowding of human beings which should be abated wherever met with, and it is greatly to be regretted that the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, does not define what is "overcrowding" in dwelling-houses. There are always difficulties in dealing with overcrowding of which the following are some of the more common:— 1.—One difficulty is that it is frequently only possible to prove overcrowding when the occupants are actually in bed, or retiring or rising. 15 2.—Another difficulty is that overcrowding is like a globule of quicksilver, which, when the finger is placed upon it, disappears and reappears elsewhere, but the place where overcrowding reappears is infinitely the more difficult to find. 3.—A further difficulty is that tenants sometimes deceive owners by understating the number in family, not bringing the whole family to the new tenement until some weeks have elapsed after possession. Cleansing.—If as suggested the minimum amount of cubic space per head were fixed by Statute for dwelling-houses, then, except that of differentiating the duties of landlords and tenants respectively, the only definite point remaining to be enforced by the By-laws would be that of annual cleansing. This point also might with advantage be made applicable to all dwellinghouses by statute, if it were provided that, where, in the opinion of the Sanitary Authority, on account of the mode of occupation or of usage, a dwelling-house should be cleansed annually, the Sanitary Authority may pass a resolution and make an order to that effect, and be empowered to enforce the order. Procedure.—The difficulty of procedure before Magistrates is to convince Magistrates that defects proved to exist are nuisances within the meaning of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891. Definite statute law or By-laws facilitates Magistrates going through the process of being convinced, and also relieves them of the responsibility of deciding what is and what is not a nuisance. The London County Council appear to desire Sanitary Authorities to proceed without giving notice. The St. Pancras By-laws appear to preclude this possibility, but even if the Yestry were desirous of the officers proceeding without giving notice, and therefore without the instruction of the Health Committee or the Vestry in each individual case, still there would be some risks in so proceeding. The owner has to be ascertained or confirmed in each case before proceeding. A tenement house not unfrequently changes hands, and if there be a new owner immediate proceedings cannot wisely be taken until after the new owner has been supplied with all the information his predecessor was supplied with. In the case of a tenant the same applies. In Court the owner may deny having received the necessary information, or may plead that it was so long ago as to have escaped memory, and Magistrates are not anxious to convict when defendants have received no notice. Magistrates also require proof of registration in each case. Inspection.—Registered tenement-houses ought to be inspected every year, as cleansing is required annually by the By-laws, the real advantage of registration being annual inspection, to enforce cleanliness and air-space. As it is probable that the supervision of Common Lodging Houses may be handed over to the Vestry, when this takes place it may be advisable to place the inspection of tenement-houses in the hands of the Inspector of Common Lodging Houses, so that they may all be in the hands of one Inspector to inspect at regular periodical intervals. 16 The numerical result of the working of the By-laws to date is set out in the following table:— HOUSES LET IN LODGINGS OR TENEMENT-HOUSES. Date of commencement of Register 1st July, 1891. Year. Number of houses inspected for Registration. Re-inspected during the year. On Register at the end of the Year. 1891 137 4 (on complaint) 137 1892 8 60 144 1893 19 19 163 1894 2 .. 145 1895 3 .. 148 1896 1 44 148 This column does not agree with column 2, owing to Rome houses having been taken off the Register and others demolished. What the London County Council consider the amount of evidence necessary to prove that a Sanitary Authority " is carrying out the provisions of Section 94" of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, in accord with their resolution of the 1st December, 1896, quoted at the commencement of this Report, is not definitely stated. It is in the experience of the Vestry that there are dwelling-houses that do not come, and cannot be brought, within the scope of By-laws for tenementhouses—for one instance, Equity Buildings—yet such class of houses require control as much as, and in many cases more than, the other class of houses. My reason, therefore, for setting out alternative methods is obvious, and I trust that this course may facilitate the consideration of the subject by your Health Committee. I have the honour to be, Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, JOHN F. .J. SYKES. Printed, by Order of the Health Committee. WILLIAM MALLISON, Chief Clerk. 65 STPAN 5 Table No. 3. Summary of Ages. 0 to 1 1 to 2 2 to 5 Total under 5 years. 5 to 10 10 to 15 15 to 25 25 to 35 35 to 45 45 to 55 55 to 65 65 to 75 75 to 85 85 and upwards Totals. General Diseases 63 48 70 181 27 24 50 75 129 139 153 127 60 6 971 Diseases of the Nervous System and of the Organs of Special Sense 18 5 9 32 2 5 4 8 22 39 56 36 25 6 235 Diseases of the Circulatory System 4 1 1 6 6 5 11 18 39 67 99 138 70 17 476 Diseases of the .Respiratory System 68 89 27 134 9 1 5 18 30 58 69 129 93 22 568 Diseases of the Digestive System 49 11 6 66 6 5 4 6 12 28 26 24 14 2 193 Non-Venereal Diseases of the Genito-Urinary System and Annexa 1 — 1 2 1 1 5 6 11 18 28 35 18 1 126 The Puerperal State — ___ 4 6 3 — — 13 Diseases of the Skin and of the Cellular Tissue 1 2 1 4 — — — — — 1 3 1 7 — 16 Diseases of the Bones and of the Organs of Locomotion — — — — — — — 1 — — 1 — — — 2 Malformations 34 — — 34 — 1 2 _ — 37 Diseases of Early Infancy 136 3 — 139 — — — — — — — — — — 139 Old Age — — — — — — — — — — 3 43 72 34 152 Affections produced by External Causes 11 3 12 26 9 6 4 8 7 13 19 11 6 3 112 III-defined Causes — — — — — — — 1 1 1 2 — — — 5 Totals 885 112 127 621 60 48 89 147 254 364 459 544 365 91 3045 Table No. 4. METEOROLOGICAL TABLE FOR SAINT PANCRAS, 1916. (Extracted from the Monthly Returns of the Meterological Office.) Deduced from Observations at Camden Square, n.w., under the Superintendence of H. Robert Mill, d.sc., ll.d. January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. September. October. November. December. Barometer. Mean Pressure at 32° F. at Station Level* (Bar 123 ft. above M.S.L.) 30.063 29.638 29.533 29.776 29.803 29.80 29.917 29.809 29.914 29.749 29.761 29.506 Air Temperature. Mean of Maximum A. 50.8 45.7 46.1 59.7 67.7 65.0 72.1 74.4 66.1 60.2 50.1 41.9 . Minimum B. 40.7 34.9 35.0 39.8 47.5 47.9 53.0 55.7 49.8 47.3 39.1 32.8 Mean of A. and B 15.8 40.3 40.6 49.8 57.6 56.5 62.6 651 58.0 53.8 44.6 37.4 Difference from Average † +7.4 +03 .21 +1.6 +3.1 —4.4 —1.5 +1.9 —0.4 +3.2 +0.6 -2.4 Humidity—Morning 88% 86% 86% 71% 68% 69% 74% 72% 81% 83% 90% 94% Earth Temperature at 4 ft. depth 45.1 441 41.7 43.8 49.3 53.0 55.5 59.1 57.0 54.2 50.0 45.3 Bright Sunshine. Total Observed (Daily mean) Hours 106 2.24 1.65 6.03 5.03 4.63 4.74 4.71 3.17 2.58 1.63 0.14 Per cent. of total possible 13 23 14 44 33 28 30 33 25 25 19 3 , Difference from Average † Hours — — . — - — — — — — — Bain and other forms of Precipitation. Number of Days 14 21 22 15 13 16 13 16 13 23 12 18 Total Fall Inches 1.8 3*4 4.6 1.3 1.8 2.1 1.6 5.5 1.4 3.2 4.6 2.5 Difference from Average † —0.47 +1.73 +2.99 —0.47 +0.12 —0.08 -0.87 + 3.19 —0.47 +0.63 +2.32 +0.35 * The hours of observation are 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., local time. † The averages used are obtained from observations extending over 35 years for Rainfall and Temperature and 25 years for Sunshine, 66 67 Table NO. 5. Inspeetiont and Re-inspections made by District Inspectors and Factory and Workshop (Male) Inspector during the year 1916. DUTIES AND PREMISES. Inspections. Re-inspections alter intimations. DISTRICT INSPECTORS. Infectious Diseases—Inquiry, removal, disinfection, etc. (1) 1421 (4) 168 Subsequent sanitary inspection, etc. (2) 718 826 Complaints (3) 1651 4677 Drainage—Under notice. Plans, supervision, etc. 94 1861 Voluntary 878 1798 New Buildings 157 763 Yards of Mews and Stables 2683 28 House-to-House Inspections — Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909:17 (1). First Inspections . 4 848 Subsequent routine Inspections .. 1038 1105 Inspections of registered tenement houses other than above 267 868 Other house-to house Inspections — 5 Visits to closed underground rooms 188 66 Smoke Shafts observed 57 12 Regulated Trades. Offensive Trades — — Rag and Bone dealers — — Other effluvia businesses — - Inspections of Market Streets — — Other Duties 68 1 Totals 9224 13026 FACTORY & WORKSHOP (MALE) INSPECTOR. Factories (including Factory Laundries) 320 351 Laundries 44 4 Bakehouses (Factories and Workshops) 364 271 Restaurant Kitchens 229 77 Other Workshops 640 365 Other Workplaces 47 53 Other Duties — — Totals 1644 1121 (*) Including 80 by temporary woman inspector. (') n 5° >> >> " (3) >> 1 5' >> >> C^) j> 1 a >> »» 68 BLE No. 6. Inspections and lie-Inspections and other work of the Food Inspectors during 1916. [# ##]DUTIES AND PREMISES. Visits and 1nspections. Re-Inspections after 1ntimation Notices, Mr. Auger. Mr. Child, Totals. Mr. Auger. Mr. Child. Totals.[/# ##] Milkshops 131 450 581 1 1 Dairies 196 23 219 — — — Cowsheds 5 59 64 — — — Other Premises of Milk Purveyors — 7 7 — — — Margarine Factories — — — — — — Butter Factories — — — — — — Ice Cream Premises 23 122 145 — — — Slaughter Houses 9 217 226 — — — Premises where Prepared Meats are made (sausages, pies, tripe, cooked meat, &c.) 16 215 231 — — — Butchers' Shops 10 314 324 — — — Fishmongers' Shops 56 115 171 — — — Fried Fish Shops and Fish Curer's premises 49 157 206 — — — Marketing Places 1708 1376 3084 — — — Other Premises where Food or Drugs are sold 2 2 — — — Other Visits 45 1 16 161 — — — Total 2250 3171 5421 1 1 SAMPLES, &c., TAKEN. Formal Samples Informal Samples No, of Milk samples ,, Cream samples 179 187 366 — — — ,, Butter aid Margarine samples — 3 3 — — — ,, Other samples (specified below)— 100 96 196 — 2 2 Lard 4 19 23 — — — Coffee 16 15 31 — — Self Raising Flour 5 5 10 — — — Oatmeal — 1 1 — — — Camphorated Oil 6 — 6 — — — Arrowroot — 3 3 — — — Mustard 10 9 19 — — — Brawn 2 — 2 — — — Flowers of Sulphur — 1 1 — — — Olive Oil 5 — 5 — — — Pepper 11 8 19 — — — Jam — 4 4 — — — Cocoa 13 8 21 — — — Cod Liver Oil 5 — 5 — — . — Fish Paste 3 — 3 — — — Garlic Sausages 1 — 1 — — Baking Powder 11 10 21 — — — Egg Powder 4 4 8 — — — Total 375 373 748 — 2 2 UNSOUND FOOD Surr Ende Red Seized No, of surrenders and seizures:— Meat, &c. 1 4 5 — 1 1 Fish 6 1 71 — — — Other Foods (specified below):- — — — — — — Fruit 3 2 5 — — — Eggs — 11 11 — — — Cream (Tins of) — 1 1 — — — Greens 1 1 2 — — — Liver and Garlic Sausages 1 — 1 — — — Total 12 20 32 — 1 1 Inspections of Registered Canal Boats 21 — 21 — — — 69 Table No. 7. Visits, etc., made by Women Inspectors during 1916. DUTIES, First Visits. Re-Visits. Miss Bibby, Miss Smith Miss Giles. * Miss Payne. Whole Borough. Miss Bibby. Miss Smith. Miss Giles. * Miss Payne. Whole Borough. Births visited — 268 118 — 386 — 224 48 — 272 Other visits re births where admission not obtained — 219 19 — 238 — — 3 — 3 Visits re verminous persons — 37 — 13 50 — 5 — 5 10 Other ,, where admission not obtained — — — — — — — — — — Visits re Ophthalmia Neonatorum — 36 1 — 37 — 57 3 — 60 Visits re Puerperal Fever — 18 1 — 19 — 4 1 — 5 Visits re other cases of illness, &c. 729 928 1150 11 2818 — 176 47 — 223 Visits re Tuberculosis notifications 5 — 381 — 386 — — 122 — 122 Other „ „ where admission not obtained 4 23 83 — 110 — — 7 — 7 For other purposes ,, ,, ,. ,, — 50 61 5 1 16 — — 9 3 12 Visits to Hospitals and other voluntary institutions 244 400 94 — 738 — — — — — Factories 2 — — — 2 — — — — — Domestic Workshops — — — — — — — — — — Home Workplaces 6 — — — 6 — — — — — Laundries — — — — — — — — — — Restaurant Kitchens — — — — — — — — — — Other Workshops 1 — — — 1 — — — — — Other Workplaces 2 — — — 3 — — — — — Other Visits, Inspections and Committees 225 61 220 — 506 — 1 — — 1 Total 1218 2040 2128 29 5415 — 467 240 8 715 * Miss Payne also carried out 132 District Inspections (sse Table 5, on page 67). 70 Table No. 8. Total Number of Inspections and Re-inspections made by individual Inspectors during the year 1916. Inspector. Inspections. Re-inspections. Total. 1. Mr. Rackham 865 1876 2741 2. ,, Brown 1428 2369 3797 3-i ,, *Thompson — — — „ *Pottier (Temporary Inspector) — — — 4. ,, *Dillon — — — ,, Auger (District Inspections) 320 491 811 5. „ *James — — — 6. „ Akers 2102 866 2968 7. „ *Lonnon — — — 8. ,, *Adkins — — — 9. „ Holmes 1161 2075 3236 10. „ Walker 1251 2889 4140 11. ,, Landen 1749 2334 4083 12. „ West (Factories & Workshops) 1861 1246 3107 13. „ Auger Food and Food premises) ) 2658 1 2659 14. ,, Child 3567 — 3567 15. Miss Bibby 1218 — 1218 16. ,, Smith 2040 467 2507 17. „ Giles 2128 240 2368 18. „ Payne 160 9 169 Totals 22508 14863 37371 * Away on Active Service during whole of 1916. 71 Table No. 9. Intimations as to Nuisances and Breaches of Statutes and By-laws served by the Sanitary Inspectors during 1916. Schedule of Nuisances. Whole Borsugh. 1 Part of the house in a dirty condition 301 2 ,, ,, damp ,, 101 3 Roof defective 487 4 Guttering defective 64 5 Water fittings defective 136 6 Water-closet apartment with absence of external ventilation 19 7 , ,, so foul as to be a nuisance or dangerous to health 14 8 Water-closet basin foul 64 9 ,, ,, defective 59 10 ,, ,, choked 110 11 Urinal in a foul condition 2 12 Privy in a foul condition 1 13 Soil pipe defective 25 14 ,, unventilated 9 15 ,, improperly ventilated 3 16 Absence of waste pipe to sink, lavatory or bath 3 17 Waste pipe of sink, lavatory, or bath connected with drain 3 18 ,, ,, ,, ,, defective 32 19 „ ,, „ foul 17 20 Inlet of drain improperly trapped 8 21 Drain defective 121 22 „ stopped 93 23 ,, ventilating pipe defective 32 24 Bain-water pipe in direct communication with drain 15 25 ,, ,, defective 84 26 Unpaved condition of roadway — 27 Undrained ,, ,, — 28 Area or part unpaved 2 29 ,, undrained 1 30 Yard or space unpaved 5 31 ,, ,, undrained 7 32 Defective condition of washhouse paving 33 33 Dust-bin defective 114 34 ,, in an improper position 1 35 Accumulation of stagnant water which is a nuisance dangerous to health 19 36 Accumulation or deposit which is a nuisance dangerous to health 131 37 Animals kept in such a manner as to be a nuisance dangerous to health 14 38 Part of the house so overcrowded as to be dangerous to health 37 39 Space below floor in basement or ground floor insufficiently ventilated 6 40 Issuing of black smoke in such a quantity as to be a nuisance 3 41 Discharging smoke in such a manner as to cause part of a building to be a nuisance dangerous to health 1 42 Tent, van, shed, or similar structure used as a human habitation which is in such a state as to be injurious or dangerous to the health of the inmates — 43 Other nuisances 132 Total 2309 Table No. 10.0 Registered Tenement Houses—Breaches of By-Laws. Whole Borough. 1 Overcrowding 2 2 Inadequate water supply — 3 Contaminated water supply — 4 Foul closet, basin or trap 15 5 Want of means of ventilation — 6 Want of annual cleansing 15 7 Want of cleansing of the part or parts of premises used in common 167 8 „ „ ,, in sole use 213 9 Want of cleansing of the room or part of tae dwelling 12 10 Animals improperly kept 1 11 Other breaches — Total 425 72 Table No. 11. Factories, Workshops and Work Places—Breaches of Statutes. Whole Borough, 1 Want of cleanliness 71 2 Want of ventilation 1 3 Want of air space, overcrowding — 4 Sanitary accommodation, absent or insufficient 8 5 ,, „ unsuitable or defective 222 6 ,, ,i not separate for sexes 10 7 Want of drainage of floors — 8 Other nuisances 53 9 Illegal occupation of underground bakehouse — 10 Breach of special sanitary requirements for bakehouses 132 11 Failure as regards list of outworkers — 12 Giving out work to be done in premises which are unwholesome — 13 „ „ „ infected — 14 Allowing wearing apparel to bo made in premises infected by scarlet fever or small-pox — 15 Other contraventions — Total 497 Table No. 12. Breaohes of other Statutes and Statutory By-laws. Whole Borough. la An occupied house without a proper and sufficient supply of water(1907 Act, Sec.78) — 1b ,, ,, „ ,, (other than above) 13 2 Water supply used for domestic purposes connected with cistern which is used for flushing the water-closet — 3 Water-closet not supplied with a sufficient quantity of water for securing its effective action 132 4 Tank, cistern, or other receptacle for storing of water used or likely to be used by man for drinking purposes—dirty condition of 12 5 Tank, cistern, or other receptacle for storing water used or likely to be used by man for drinking purposes—absence of a proper cover to 13 6 Tank, cistern, or other receptacle for storing water used or likely to be used by man for drinking purposes placed in an improper position — 7 Animals so kept as to be likely to pollute the water supply — 8 Offensive matters not deposited in manure receptacle 3 9 Manure not removed at proper intervals 14 10 Manure—absenoe of proper receptacle for 6 11 Manure receptacle not properly constructed — 12 Sufficient drain to stables or cowshed—absence of a — 13 Receptacle for house refuse—absence of a proper 146 14 Receptacle for house refuse—absenoe of a proper cover for 7 15 Yard or open space unpaved 4 16 ,, paving defective 64 17 Insufficient water-closet accommodation to "lodging house" 25 18 A furnace improperly constructed or negligently used — 19 Effluvia arising from premises used for trade, business, or manufacture which is a nuisance dangerous to the inhabitants of the district — 20 Offensive matters suffered to run out of trade premises into an uncovered place — 21 Dairies and cowsheds—breach of By-laws as to 2 22 Slaughterhouses—breach of By-laws as to 1 23 Steam whistle—use of a, without authority 1 24 Parts of houses infested with vermin requiring stripping, purifying, and cleansing 128 25 Articles in an unwholesome condition requiring to be purified or destroyed — 26 Underground room illegally occupied as a dwelling 9 27 Other breaches 36 Total 616