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It will be seen that by placing the whole work of
disinfection in the hands of their responsible officers the
Council saved no less than os. 5d. in 1903. This result
is highly creditable to the Superintendent, Mr. Woodhouse,
and I am glad to take this opportunity of acknowledging the
valuable services he has rendered to the Council during the
year.
Temporary Shelter or House Accommodation.
The Public Health (London) Act, 1891 (section 60,
sub-section 4) imposes an obligation upon Sanitary Authorities
to provide accommodation for persons who have been compelled
to leave their dwellings on account of disinfection being carried
on therein.
The sub-section is as follows
" The Sanitary Authority shall provide, free of charge,
" temporary shelter or house accommodation with any
" necessary attendants for the members of any family
"in which any dangerous infectious disease has
" who have been compelled to leave their
" dwellings for the purpose of enabling such dwellings
"to be disinfected by the Sanitary Authority."
The need of such accommodation was much felt during
the outbreak of small-pox. In many instances the work of
disinfection was carried on under considerable difficulty, and
in the poorer districts much hardship was inflicted on the
inmates of dwellings under disinfection.
At an early stage in the small-pox outbreak the Health
Committee decided to recommend the Council to erect a shelter,
but some difficulty was experienced in securing a good site
and in arranging for the erection of a suitable building.
Eventually, it was decided to provide accommodation for three
families, and a residence for the Mortuary Keeper in a twostorey
building on the piece of ground adjoining the public
Mortuary. An excellent shelter was designed by Mr. Eaton,
the Borough Architect, at an estimated cost of £996, and
application was made to the Local Government Board for
their sanction for a loan for this amount. The Board held an
enquiry on July 20th, and suggested certain structural