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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![Mr. W. 1). lapsed urban district shall become part of a rural Wodsworth, district?—Quite so. Mr. J. H. 21,777. Every poor law union (except the portions, ^lomhan, j£ gjjy^ q£ j^g g^pgg^ included in an urban district) is a Mr F X F I'ural sanitary district, and the guardians of the poor Mae'Cabe, of the union are the rural sanitary authority of the M.U.C.S.E., district ?—Yes. F.R.C.P.I., 21,778. Towns not constituted urban sanitary dis- C I'^Cotton ^^'^^^^ provisions which you have stated are M Inst C E P^its of rui-al sanitary districts, and are, for sanitary '_ purposes, under the control of the guardians of the 23 May 188). poor of the union in which they are situated, are they not ?—Yes. 21.779. Taking the provisions of the Public Health Act, 1878, affecting the housing of the working classes, in the order in which they are found in the Act, I would ask you first some questions as to buildings. Sections 38, 39, and 40 contain provisions which, among other matters, enable urban sanitary authori- ties to widen and improve streets, and, with the sanc- tion of the Local Government Board, to make new streets ?—That is so. 21.780. Those sections are copied, are they not, from sections 154, 155, and 156 of the English Public Health Act, 1875 ?~Yes. 21.781. There are no similar provisions, I believe, applicable to towns forming parts of rural sanitarj' districts ?—None, in Ireland. 21.782. Sections 41, 42, and 43 empower all sani- tary authorities, do they not, to make and enforce byelaws with respect, among other matters, to the structure and materials of new buildings, the sites and foundations of buildings, the sufficiency of air space about buildings and ventilation, and the drainage of buildings?—Quite so. 21.783. Those sections are copied, with slight alterations, from sections 157, 158, and 159 of the English Act of 1875, are they not?—They are. 21.784. Then with regard to cellar-dv/ellings, sec- tion 82 of the Irish Act prohibits the letting or occupying, or suffering to be occupied separately as a dwelling, any cellar built or rebuilt after the passing of the Act, or not lawfully so let or occupied at the time of the passing of the Act ?—It does. 21.785. And section 83 prohibits the letting or occupying, or suffering to be occupied as a dwelling, any cellar whatever unless certain requisitions therein stated are complied with ?—Quite so. 21.786. And section 84 imposes on persons violating these provisions a penalty not exceeding 20s. for every day during which the cellar continues to be let or occupied after notice in writing from the sanitary authority ?—Yes. 21.787. Section 85 enacts that any cellar in which any person passes the night shall be deemed to be ocoupied as a dwelling within the meaning of the Act ?—It does. 21.788. And section 86 provides for the closing of the premises after two convictions, does it not ?— Yes. 21.789. These sections are copied from sections 71, 72,73, 74, and 75 of the English Public Health Act, 1875, with hardly any alteration, I believe ?—That is so. 21.790. Then with regard to common lodging-houses, the interpretation clause (s. 2) of tlie Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1878, defines a common lodging-house'' to mean a house in which, or in any part of which, persons are harboured or lodged for hire for a single night or for less than a week at a time ?—Quite 60 ; in that it differs from the English Act. 21.791. The provisions of the Act relating to common lodging-houses apply to all sanitary di?,ti'iotf, and provide for the registering of common lodging- houses, do they not ?—Yes. 21.792. It is provided that every sanitary authority shall from time to time make regulations for fixing and from time to time varying the number of lodgers to be received in a common lodging-house, and for the se])aration of the sexes therein ?—Quite so. 21.793. The Act also provides, does it not, for the inspection of common lodging-houses by an officer of the sanitary authority?—It does. There are also byelaws relating to other subjects than those which have been mentioned, but it is not necessary, I sup- pose, to state them in detail. 21.794. The sections of the Act of 1878 upon these subjects are copied, are they not, from the English Public Health Act without alteration, except the sub- stitution in the Irish Act of sanitary authority for local authority in the English Act ?—Quite so. 21.795. There is, however, one important difference, is there not, between the two statutes, viz., that the Irish Act of 1878 gives in the interpretation clause the definition of a common lodging-house about which I have just asked you, whereas there is no such defi- nition in the EngUsh Act of 1875 ?—That is so. 21.796. Then we come to byelaws relating to houses let in lodgings. Section 100 of the Public Health (Ireland) Act enacts that the Local Grovernment Board for L-eland may, if they think fit, empower any sanitary authority to make byelaws for the regulation of such houses; and section 101 enacts that the pro- visions of the last preceding section shall not apply to common lodging-houses; and those sections are copied from section 90 of the English Public Health Act, are they not ?—They are, without any change. 21.797. {To Mr. fVod.'tworth.) Can you give a list of the places in Avhich such byelaws are in force ?— Yes. There are only three places : Belfast, Dublin, and Limerick. A fourth case, in the town of Thurles, in the county of Tipperary, is under the consideration of the Board, and is not yet disposetl of. 21.798. {To Mr. Wodstoorth.) The three cases which have just been named are the only cases in which byelaws under the 100th section are in force ?—They are. 21.799. ( To Mr. Wodstoorth.) Are you of opinion that the three towns Avhich you have named are the only towns in Ireland where such byelaws are urgently needed ?—They are urgently needed wherever there are tenement houses. 21.800. And I presume there are tenement houses ill many towns in Ireland besides those three which you have named ?—No doubt. 21.801. Has the Local Government Board for Ireland ever taken any steps, by circular or otherwise, to call the attention of the local authorities to section 100 ?—They Iiave as regards common lodging-houses, but not as to tenement houses. The 100th section requires publication in the Gazette and in the local newspapers before byelaws can be made. 21.802. But there is nothing, is there, which would prevent your doing what we have recently done in England, viz., calling the attention of the local autho- rities to the subject, with a view to inducing them, if possible, to ask you to confirm byelaws ?—Certainly not. 21.803. Can you tell me, with regard to the three towns which you have named, whether the byehiAvs are recent byelaws, or whether they date from the passing of the Act ?—They have been in operation for some years. 21.804. Are they satisfactory byelaws ?—The bye- laws are satisfactory, but whether they are worked in a satisfactory manner I cannot say. 21.805. Have you a model set of byelaws ?—We have not. 21.806. Do the byelaws of those three towns which you have named differ much ?—Not very much ; they are aluiost iilentical. 21.807. Are they largely worked ? — They are in the city of Dublin, but I cannot speak as to Belfast and Limerick. Although we have no model byelaws there is no practical difficulty, inasmuch as whenever a town or a local authority wish to make byelaws thoy can avail themselves of the byekws made else- where, and they do so. 21.808. {To Mr. Monahan.) With regard to nui- sances, section 107 of the Act of 1878 defines a nuisance for the purposes of the Act, does it not ?— It does.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24398329_0038.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
