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sent to be cleansed, and the task of eradicating vermin will be dealt with comprehensively by a
single authority. Should the London County Council on the other hand be driven, by the failure
of the Borough Councils, to make their own provision for school children, they cannot deal with
adults, and the children will become re-infested after each cleansing by contact in their homes with
verminous members of their families who are not of school age, and for this work, which would be
bound to fail in its object, the Borough Council would pay as heavily through the Education Rate
as they would through the Borough Rate in the event of a station of their own being provided,
with the added disadvantage of having no direct control over the amount spent.
Under the circumstances it is much to be regretted that the very considerable labours of the
Baths and Infectious Diseases Sub-Committee, who have submitted a number of reports during
the year on this subject, should have failed to bring about the provision of a cleansing station which
is so eminently necessary for the well-being of the children attending the elementary schools.
On November 7th a resolution was submitted to the Council by the Public Health Committee,
which contained the recommendation that the Council do affirm the principle that a Cleansing Station
shall be provided for the Borough. An amendment in favour of this recommendation being struck
out, was carried by 29 votes against 21, and the remainder of the resolution containing details as to
the site and cost of the proposed cleansing station was accordingly dropped. The site recommended
was in Blechynden Mews. The estimated cost of building and equipment amounted to £808, and
to this sum was added £109 as the value of the site, which is the property of the Council. The
annual expenditure on staff, stores and maintenance was estimated at £230.
Verminous Rooms.—308 verminous rooms were cleansed during the year in response to notices
served under the powers conferred by the London County Council General Powers Act, 1904, 26
beds were disinfected, and 16 verminous beds were destroyed.
PUBLIC BATHS AND WASHHOUSES

It is satisfactory to note that the numbers of bathers exceeded those recorded in any previous
year, whilst the number of washers remained well above 70,000.
MORTUARY AND CHAPEL OF REST

In 118 of the above cases post-mortem examinations were made under the coroner's warrant.