A SYDNEY ODGING-HOUSE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2869, 5 June 1882, Page 2

A SYDNEY ODGING-HOUSE.

“ Sydney Morning Herald,” May 19th. On Wednesday afternoon Mr Seymour, Inspector of nuisances, inspected, a common lodging-house in order to see whether an improvement had been effected since its proprietor was last fined for having filth upon his premises. The place is one at which, as a board extended over the doorway indicates* beds may be obtained for 6d or 9d ehcb. The exterior of the house has a most uninviting ■ appearance.. The shutters are mouldering away, and there are evidences': that many years ago a painter’s brush was passed over them. It was, however, the internal arrangements of the place which Mr Seymour wished to see. . The , house consists of four rooms —two on the ground floor, and two on the first floor—and a garret. In addition, there are a small kitchen pad a'nondescript kind .of weather-board building at the back of it. The weather-board building is used as a sleopiug apartment, and is about

four foot from an outhouse from which a most sickening stench emanates. In the four rooms and garrets there were no less than 28 single beds, consisting of sofas, stretchers, iron cots and broken couches. The atmosphere of the place was offensive in (lie highest degree, floors were in some places black with dirt, and in-other places saturated with’ offensive matter. The garret measures 18ft by 21ft, ami probably averages 4ft Gin in height. This apartment is ventilated by two windows, 25 inches by 12 inches. In this garret there were no less than eight sofa beds, packed closely together; amUilthough the visit was made before 3 o’clock in the afternoon, three men wiio had occupied some of these beds were dressing themselves. The “mattresses’ 1 were composed of different materials, in various stages of decay. In some cases the coverings were in pieces, displaying the cocoanut fibre of which these mattresses are made! In other cases the coverings were so mouldy and decayed that,yielding to the touch they were reduced to shreds. Mr Seymour essayed to investigate the contents of these coverings, and putting his hand into the stuff of. which the bed was made, brought up ,-i handful of wet matted substances which resembled manure, but was extremely offensive in smell. A similar experiment was tried with some of the oilier beds, and with the same result—that they were found to be rotten, stinking, and saturated with-offensive matter.