Second report of Her Majesty's Commissioners for inquiring into the housing of the working classses : Scotland.
- Great Britain. Royal Commission on Housing of the Working Classes
- Date:
- 1885
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Second report of Her Majesty's Commissioners for inquiring into the housing of the working classses : Scotland. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.
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![Council Chamber, Dublin. Wednesday, 27th May 1885. FORTY-SIXTH DAY. PRESENT : The Et. Hon. the Earl Brownlow. The Rt. Hon. Sir Richard Assheton Cross, Bart., M.P. The Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, Bart., M.P. The Right Reverend the Bishop Suffragan of Bedford. Mr. Edaidnd Dwyer Gray, M.P, Mr. Jesse Collings, M.P. Mr. John Edward Courtenay Bodley. Secretary. The Rt. Hon. Sir CHARLES WENTWORTH DILKE, Bart., M.P., in the Chair. Mr. Robert M'Vicker examined. R. Mr. M' Vicker. 24.433. {The Chairman^ You are the Mayor of Londonderry, are you not ?—Yes. 24.434. The death-rate in Londonderry, which has a population of between 29,000 and 30,000 people, was in the year 1881 nearly 2G per 1,000; in 1882 it was exactly 26; in 1883 it was 24'2; and in 1884 it was 23. The average death-rate, therefore, is a little under 25 per 1,000 ?—That is correct. 24,43.T. There are at present, I believe, between 4,001) and 5,000 inhabited houses in the ciJy of Londonderry, and the average population to a house is 6, is it not ?—Yes, 6 1. 24.436. The number of persons to a house, there- fore, is a little higher in Londonderry than it is in Belfast; but it is low. I presume from these figures that the practice of dwelling in large tenement houses does not mnch prevail in Londonderry ?—It has almost ceased ; it did at one time prevail to a very great extent. 21.437. It has ceased, has it not, through the ]n-efereune of the ]iopulation for single houses ?—It has ceased in consequence of a great number oi new houses being built. These old houses tumbled down .as the leases fell out. and the society got possession of the property. 24.438. And the new houses that have been built ai-e single houses ?—They are. 24.439. The people prefer them, I believe ?— They do. 24.440. Out of the 4,750 houses in the city, 1,426 houses are said, I believe, to be inhabited by the artizan and working classes ?—That is correct. 24.441. That is the number of houses under 4/. valuation ?—Yes. 24.442. There are a good many very cheap dwellings in Londonderry, namely, 430 which are valued at under 21. a year ?—Yes. They are let by the week, although the rents are given by the year. The landlord pays the taxes in these cases. 24.443. There has been a vast improvement in the dwellings of the poor in Londonderry during the last 10 years, has there not ?—A very great improvement. 24.444. And the diminished death-rate which was shown by the figure which I read just now, is, I suppose, in your opinion, partly a consequence of the improvement ?—Partly from that, and partly from the strict sanitary arrangements that we have. 24.445. Is there any unhealthy trade carried on in Londonderry ?—No; there is only a shirt-making trade which is not an unhealthy trade. The people work in large factories which are well-ventilated, and under the supervision, of course, of the Government inspectors. 24.446. You do not consider that there is any unhealthy trade in Londonderry?—There is none that I know of at all. in Londonderry, although is in Dublin, or Cork, or 24.447. The mortality it is not so high as it Waterford, or Limerick, and exactly the same as it is in Belfast, is nevertheless a high rate of mortality ? —Yes, we always consider that it is higii. 24.448. It is considerably above the average of the towns in the United Kingdom ?—Is it much above the avei'age ? 24.449. Yes, it is very much above the average if you take out the towns of specially high mortality where there is an unhealthy trade. That was why I asked you whether there was an unhealthy trade in Londonderry ?—No, there is none. But you are aware that we have a very wet climate with a great deal of rain, and the weather is very changeable. 24.450. Previously to the time that you mentioned when the improvement began, were there a great many of old dilapidated houses ?—A great number. 24.451. And houses with bad sanitary arrange- ments ?—Very bad. 24.452. There was a great deal of overcrowding also, was there not ?—There was a great deal of overcrowding. I see that one particular case is quoted which ceased to exist long ago. 24.453. Since the 1st of January 1875 there have been 1,137 new houses built, have there not ?—Yes. 24.454. And all those new houses have been properly supplied with sanitary requirements, and with a direct supply of water 'i—Compulsory so by the sanitary board, of which I am chairman. 24.455. There are still some streets in the town, are there not, which cannot be said to be in a satis- factory state ?—There are one or two. 24.456. Especially as regards watercloset accommo- dation ?—Yes. 24.457. The water supply is also defective, is it not ?—In some of the old houses, they have to go to a fountain at a short distance from them, a few yards. There is no diflSculty in getting the water ; it is just the trouble of carrying it. 24.458. You have put the Public Health Act in force as regards the compulsory supply of water- closets, have you not ?—We have. They must have either waterclosets or privies at a certain distance from the house, and ashpits with a proper floor to them. 24.459. Do you clear the privies yourselves ?—We compel them to be cleared, and if they do not clear them, then we clear them ourselves at their expense. 24.460. The artizans in Londonderry are becoming desirous of owning their own houses, are they not ?— They are, and they do own them to a very great extent. 24.461. They invest their savings largely in building property, do they not ?—Yes, they have an easy way of doing it, through building societies. 27 May 1885.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24398329_0125.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
