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CHAPTER IV.

INSPECTION OF LODGING-HOUSES.

THE lodging-houses here referred to are those known as being under the Sanitary Acts as distinguished from common lodging-houses, which are under the supervision of the police, under the provisions of the "Common Lodging-house Acts, 1851 and 1853."

In this work the inspector will require to exercise patience, as the poorest class of persons are sometimes stubborn and awkward to deal with. It is, however, a matter of constant application, energy, and determination on the part of the officer to carry out the simple and elementary laws of health as mentioned in the following pages of this book.

The regulations issued by the Local Government Board are so suggestive of the work to be done, that they have been inserted in this chapter.

The sanitary authorities have power to make byelaws as to

1. Ventilation.

2. Paving.

3. Drainage.

4. Cleansing.

5. Limewashing.

6. Privy accommodation.

7. Number of lodgers.

8. Infectious diseases.

9. Separation of the sexes.

10. Limewashing at stated periods.
11. Limewashing common passages.

12. Powers of inspection.

It must be remembered that most of these matters can be enforced under the general Acts, even where no special bye-laws are made; but Nos. 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12 require a bye-law to enforce them, and of course when bye-laws are in operation more pressure can be applied, and the houses are better under control.

METROPOLIS.-REGULATIONS AS TO HOUSES LET IN
LODGINGS.

Local Government Board, Whitehall, S.W.,
December 29th, 1883.

SIR, I am directed by the Local Government Board to state that they have deemed it desirable to declare the enactments in section 35 of the Sanitary Act, 1866, and section 47 of the Sanitary Law Amendment Act, 1874, to be in force in each of the parishes and districts in the metropolis in which those provisions are not now in operation.

The necessary notice was published in the London Gazette of the 28th instant, and a copy of the notice is enclosed.

The effect of the publication of this notice, so far as regards the is that the

are now empowered to make regulations, subject to the

confirmation of the Board, with respect to houses which are let in lodgings, or occupied by members of more than one family.

The matters for which, under section 35 of the Sanitary Act, 1866, regulations may be made, are as follows:

:

1. For fixing the number of 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:

2. For the registration of houses thus let or occupied in lodgings:

3. For the inspection of such houses, and the keeping the same in a cleanly and wholesome state :

4. For enforcing therein the provision of privy accommodation and other appliances and means of cleanliness in proportion to the number of lodgings and occupiers, and the cleansing and ventilation of the common passages and staircases:

5. For the cleansing and lime-whiting at stated times of such premises.

The Sanitary Law Amendment Act, 1874, enacts in section 47 that regulations under the above-mentioned section may extend to "ventilation of rooms, paving and drainage of premises, the separation of the sexes, and to notices to be given and precautions to be taken in case of any dangerously infectious or contagious disease."

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The Board trust that the without delay to make regulations in pursuance of these enactments. The Board enclose a series of

suggested regulations which they have caused to be prepared with the view of assisting the

their consideration of the subject.

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The Board direct me to add that they feel assured that the by a judicious exercise of their powers under the enactments referred to, might secure a material improvement of the sanitary condition of the dwellings of the poorer classes in the

I am, Sir, your obedient Servant,
HUGH OWEN, Secretary.

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SIR,

Local Government Board, Whitehall, S.W., 31st December, 1883.

I am directed by the Local Government Board to advert to the letter which on the 18th of July last they addressed to the several vestries and district boards in the metropolis, enclosing a memorandum by the medical officer of the board in which attention was drawn to the importance of certain measures being taken with regard to water supply, the removal of refuse, and the cleansing of dwellings, and particularly of such dwellings as were densely occupied; and also to the Board's letter of the 21st of July last, in which, with reference to the Artizans Dwellings Acts, 1868 to

1882 (Mr. Torrens' Acts), the Board impressed upon the vestries and district boards the importance of giving effect to the powers conferred upon them by those Acts in all cases in which the exercise of those powers was required, and urged them to direct their medical officers of health to make, without delay, returns of the places which they considered ought to be dealt with under those Acts.

Public attention has since been drawn to the insanitary condition of dwellings of the poorer classes in several of the districts in the metropolis, and the Board deem it desirable again to refer to the subject, and to bring under the special notice of the vestries and district boards the provisions of the Acts above-mentioned, and of other statutes which have reference to the dwellings of the labouring classes.

The statutes to which the Board refer are

1. The Acts as to the Removal of Nuisances—viz., the Nuisances Removal Act, 1855, the Sanitary Act, 1866, and the Sanitary Law Amendment Act, 1874.

2. The Artizans Dwellings Acts, 1868 to 1882 (Mr. Torrens' Acts). These include the Artizans and Labourers Dwellings Act (1868), the Artizans and Labourers Dwellings Act (1868) Amendment Act, 1879, and Part II. of the Artizans Dwellings Act, 1882.

3. The Artizans and Labourers Dwellings Improvement Acts, 1875 to 1882 (Sir R. Cross's Acts), viz.:The Artizans and Labourers Dwellings Improvement Act, 1875, the Artizans and Labourers Dwellings Improvement Act, 1879, and Part I. of the Artizans Dwellings Act, 1882; and

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