OVERCROWDED DWELLINGS.
That beneficial state, the Common Lodging House Act, encountered sturdy opposition in Newcastle; and the junior Member of Newcastle has been opposing in parliament that kindred measure, the Crowded Dwellings Prevention Bill. On Monday, on the motion for going into committee,
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Mr. KINNAIRD (Perth) supported the bill. If London were polled, the vote of every poor man would be given in favour of it. The state of the lodging-houses in London was terrible. No long ago, he went with one of the police to visit some of these lodging-houses, when he was surrounded by persons who begged that the provisions of the existing act might be extended to houses which did not now come within their operation. There were many places which, though not technically, were practically lodging-houses, in which several families were crowded together. In one tenement he saw 30 or 40 miserable Chinese so crowded together as to breed all kinds of filth and abomination. The crowding of 3,000,000 of persons into a single city was a highly artificial arrangement, and it required some special enactments like those now proposed to get for the poor some measure of air, water, and other matters required for healthful and convenient living.
Sir W. JOLLIFFE, (Petersfield) condemned the provisions of the bill, which would defeat the operation of that very excellent measure the Common Lodging-houses Act.
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