"There are a great many middlemen dealing with these properties. A great deal of it is to let out in lodgings. A man goes and buys this wretched property at public auction in different parts of London to pay him 10 or 12 per cent., and he underlets it at so much a room to weekly tenants." "It is these small men who go into it to make a profit, and screw the poor, wretched holders down to the last farthing--in fact they get as much as they can out of the property, and do as little as they can." Some of the Medical Officers of Health referred to the difficulties of getting the "owners" to do anything to keep their property in order. Thus the Medical Officer of Health for St. James' wrote (1877-8):-- "On eastern border of parish a large number of houses are now increasingly being underleased in order to be let out as tenement-houses.... Dealers in these houses make enormous aggregate rentals out of the improvident working people whom they thus herd together; and persistent efforts on the part of the sanitary officers are needed to goad some of these 'landlords' into keeping their 'property' in a decent condition." With a very large number of house-owners and other sanitary misdoers, nothing but the vigorous administration of the law would induce them to abate nuisances or do anything for their tenants. "I am quite sure," wrote the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney in 1880, "that a prompt and strict enforcement of the various sanitary Acts is beneficial not only to tenants, but landlords, because the latter will not allow tenants to occupy their houses who frequently bring them under the notice of the sanitary officers." With many, however, the fact that the law had been put in force against them, and would, if necessary, again be put in force was sufficient. "The number of statutory notices this year was not much more than half. Owners have carried out the necessary works for fear of being summoned." And numerous other reports were to the same effect. But a vigorous administration of the sanitary laws against owners was the very last thing which it was of use looking to the Vestries or District Boards for. Some of the Vestries and District Boards put pressure upon their Medical Officers of Health to prevent energy upon their part. Thus the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras in 1875 tendered his resignation, giving the following reasons:-- "That while I am held responsible for the sanitary condition of the parish, I am denied that assistance in outdoor inspection of houses either visited with contagious diseases or habitually in an unsatisfactory condition, which I believe to be necessary. I feel that the severe condemnation which a house-to-house visitation of the poorer parts of the parish has received from a majority of the sanitary committee must of necessity hopelessly weaken my authority with the sanitary inspectors, and render nugatory my efforts to carry out the Sanitary Acts...."