View report page

5
health. The object of the department is not to prosecute successfully; it is to advise and help
and thus to secure a better standard of hygiene.
At the present time the cost of household repairs makes it difficult to obtain that improvement
in rent controlled property which is desirable, but nevertheless improvement has been
achieved in the vast majority of cases without recourse to legal proceedings. This, however, is
no statement of a complacent attitude of mind. Where it has been necessary, authority has
always been forthcoming to take out a summons and prosecute, and the tables in this report
will show the number of occasions where this has unfortunately been necessary.
I would like to envisage a time when the public health department achieved its object
on an intimation notice without any exercise of its statutory powers. It is essential that where a
nuisance exists which is dangerous or injurious to the health of the residents of the borough, such
residents must be protected as soon as possible. On the other hand it is well to remember that
before Court action is taken the person responsible for its remedy receives an intimation notice,
a statutory notice, a warning letter and a summons, and sometimes telephone calls as well, so
that he has a full opportunity of dealing with the matter in a spirit of co-operation.
Housing.
I am indebted to Mr. A. W. Davey, the Housing Manager, for the following summary:—
During the past year the waiting list has been reviewed and at the 30th April, 1953, the
number of applicants totalled 6,025 (the figure at the end of March, 1952, was 10,712).
During the period 1st April, 1952, to 31st March, 1953, 311 new flats were completed,
and altogether by means of vacancies and transfers the total housing movement affected 713
families.

Rag Flock.
The Rag Flock and Other Materials Act, 1951, came into operation on the 1st November,
last year, so that a full year's experience of its administration has now been gained.
Your Chief Sanitary Inspector and those members of the Staff specialising in the supervision
of factories took several opportunities of acquainting themselves with the production
of filling materials and the making of mattresses by visiting manufacturers throughout the