A few illustrations show the dreadful condition of things in this respect in certain localities.
In the Borough of Finsbury, over 35,000 persons lived in overcrowded tenements of less than five rooms; in Stepney, 99,000; in Islington, 56,000; in St. Pancras, 56,000; in Lambeth, a few short of 37,000; and in Southwark, over 46,000.
And if some of the figures about overcrowding were looked into a little more minutely it was to be seen that in St. Marylebone there were 1,020 two-room tenements inhabited by five persons each, 685 by six persons each, 366 by seven persons each, and 170 by eight persons each.
In Islington there were 1,253 such tenements with six persons each, 624 with seven persons, and 258 with eight persons.
In St. Pancras there were 1,414 two-room tenements with six persons in each, 743 with seven persons in each, and 323 with eight in each.
In Shoreditch there were 694 two-room tenements with six persons in each, 380 with seven in each, and 155 with eight in each.
Stepney was the worst of all—with 1,126 two-room tenements with seven persons in each, 577 with eight persons in each, and 278 with nine persons in each; but this was the result of alien immigration.
In Lambeth there were 699 tenements of two rooms with six people in each, and 322 similar tenements with seven each, and 118 with eight each.
It must have come as a revelation to many of the Borough Councils to find such a condition of things existing in their municipality.
These are the most recent reliable figures. Not much change can have taken place since then, and they may be regarded as presenting fairly well the existing condition of the housing of the people of London.