president's address SECTION I. 189 



tion it can afford for itself. The scant accommodiition often 

 becomes scantier by the giving up of some of it to lodgers — the last 

 resource of a poor housewife to eke out her means. The difficulties 

 attending the dealing with these poor houses have been more 

 resolutely, and I believe therefore more successfully, faced at 

 Glasgow than in any other large city I know. As far back as 

 1862, under the provisions of a special Act, all houses of not more 

 than three rooms, and with a total cubic space of not more than 

 2.000ft., were placed under special sanitary observation, were 

 measured, and allowed inmates at the rate of one adult or iwo 

 children under ten years of age for every 400 cubic feet of space, 

 the allowed number being stamped upon a tin ticket on the door. 

 These " ticketed houses " are liable to and receive inspection by 

 night as well as day, and their sanitation has done marvels in 

 improving the health of the city. 



In my own experience I have found that in hard times, such as 

 these we are now unhappily having, the sanitary condition of the 

 poorer classes of houses rapidly deteriorates. Landlords get less 

 rent from such property, and therefore spend less upon it. The 

 tenants pay their rent less regularly, and therefore can demand less 

 in the way of repairs, however necessary, A soi't of tacit under- 

 standing on this matter is arrived at; but in some cases it is openly 

 expressed. A family as it goes down in the world gets less and less 

 exigent as it descends the social scale, u«itil its refuge is a place the 

 landlord will let them have onlj' on condition that he is not to be 

 asked to do anything. To meet such and such like cases we are in 

 Tasmania asking Parliament, among other amendments of the 

 Health Acts, to apply to existing houses on change of tenancy the 

 provisions as to inspection and certificate before occupation that are 

 elsewhere in force with respect to newly-built houses. We hope 

 by this means, not only to prevent the letting of houses in an un- 

 healthy condition, but also to effect good with regard to poor 

 houses under existing tenancies, as landlords may as well do repairs 

 for the present tenants as be obliged to do them for new ones. 



In many cases the only practicable remedy for the unhealthy 

 condition of a house, or group of houses, is the drastic one of 

 demolition. Reference has already been made to the good work 

 done in many places by exercising the legislative powers granted to 

 this end. As important is the exercise of the legislative powers 

 granted for reconstruction. The results following this exercise at 

 Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, and London, under powers 

 obtained vmder special Acts, amply justify the granting of similar 

 powers to all urban sanitary boards as effected by the Housing of 

 the Working Classes Act of 1890. The building work thus 

 authorised has not only done good directly to the people who have 

 actually been provided with improved dwelling-places, but in- 

 directly also by raising the standard of cottage and house building 

 over whole districts. 



