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106
The number of houses dealt with, and other information under the
Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, will be found included in your Medical
Officer of Health's report.
In the course of inspection a number of houses were found to come under
the by-laws for "houses let in lodgings." I wrote the owners as to their
liability, and they decided to let each house to one tenant only, so that the
houses do not come within the by-laws.
SHOPS' ACT, 1912.
One small Amending Act came into force during the year, viz.:— the
Shops' Act, 1913. This Act amends the Shops' Act, 1912, in its application to
premises for the sale of refreshments.
The work of administering this Act is carried out by Mr. Winter and
myself. Systematic inspections are made from time to time, and contraventions
found, and the offenders cautioned, but it is now quite time that the shopkeepers
knew the Act, and should any more contraventions occur, proceedings
should be instituted.
It is the "mixed" shops that are the offenders. We have tried to make
purchases, but they only serve to their known customers. If the Act is to be
properly enforced, I can only reiterate my former remarks that I should
certainly like to see it made compulsory to close all "mixed" shops, as the
supervision of these shops is exceptionally difficult.
CANAL BOATS.
The number of canal boats inspected was 29, and the number of visits to
the canal 64. Special difficulty exists in this district owing to the canal being
some distance from dwelling-houses generally, thus necessitating special and
exclusive visits, which occupies much more time than would be the case if the
canal ran through the more thickly populated part of the district, as the inspection
could be carried out with the general work.
The following contraventions of the Acts and Regulations were dealt with:
1 boat; no certificate.
1 boat; certificate not in order.
1 boat required repairing.
All of which have been remedied.
Although the number of boats on the river is on the increase, the
registered boats are on the decrease. Speaking generally, the canal boats