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No less than 6754 Notices were served under the Public Health Act, 1936, many of
them involving extensive works and some 494 summonses were issued in respect of noncompliance.
This is probably a greater number of cases in which legal procedure has been
necessary than in any other town in England; an indication of an unhealthy position.
As Licensing Officer I have Issued building licences to the value of £2,250,000
during the years 1946 to 1951 for repairs to private dwellings; together with free limit
work there has been well over £3i million spent on repairs to houses in West Ham in that
period.
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Two areas were dealt with by Ifofitness Order, Stanley Road etc., containing 4l
houses and Anne Street 23 houses. Objections to the Orders were dealt with by Public
Enquiry but the Minister confirmed both Orders without modification.
WOOD BORING BEETLES. Trouble from wood boring beetles appears to be increasing
rapidly. Usually the first thing that happens so far as the Department is concerned is a
request for advice and assistance from a householder who states that her furniture or the
floors and skirtings have been eaten. Usually the trouble is due to the furniture beetle
and is very difficult to deal with. When the typical holes appear in the wood the damage
has been done, these are merely the escape holes for the adult beetle. These little beasts,
about ⅛" in length mate soon after they emerge from the wood and the female in about a day
lays about twenty eggs in cracks or crevices. In approximately three weeks these eggs hatch
and the grubs bore into the wood and go on boring for from one to two years, finally changing
into the chrysalis stage and then in two or three weeks changing into the adult beetle which
then emerges from the wood, boring a small escape hole for the purpose.
Usually the treatment consists of an injection of suitable insecticide into the escape
holes to kill any grubs there may be in the wood, but it would appear that the whole woodwork
in the house needs protection as far as practicable to kill the adult beetle before it can
lay eggs.
RAG FLOCK. During the year the Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials Act, 1951 came
into operation and should prove of great service as a means of enforcing a definite and
practicable standard of cleanliness of the various materials used for stuffing and filling
bedding and furniture.
It is of particular interest to note that great use has been made of the various
standards for the cleanliness of Fillings and Stuffings for Bedding, Upholstery, Toys and
other Domestic Articles Included in British Standard, No. 1425 of 1951»
The Act came into operation on November 1st, 1951, and repealed the Rag Flock Acts
of 19H and 1928. It brings under control and supervision a much wider range of activities
than those covered by the repealed Acts. Various types of premises connected with the
upholstering trade or with the provision of filling materials for that trade, must now be
licensed or registered by the local authority.
The filling materials to which the Act applies, are specified in Section 33, and
include, inter alia, rag flock, unwoven cotton, unwoven wool, jute, hair, feathers, down,
kapok, seaweed and straw.
The Act will place an additional burden on the department but this is likely to be
well worth while.
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