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have been disinfected with beneficial effect after the occurrence
of infectious illness among the children congregated in
such rooms.
Yard Paving.— This year, as in past years, every
endeavour has been made to improve the surroundings of
houses by securing the laying of suitable impervious material
in unpaved back yards, and the paving of spaces extending
along the front or back of the house walls.
It is often difficult to get owners of property to agree that
the laying of an impervious pavement not only prevents
nuisances arising from the collection of foul and stagnant
water, and dampness of house walls, but conduces to greater
cleanliness both inside and outside the house. To see the condition
of the spaces which existed around some ot the houses
where paving has been insisted upon was sufficient to discourage
tenants, however wishful they might be, to keep
their houses clean.
For these reasons the paving of the space about the house,
especially from door to the dust-bin and W.C. and gully
receiving the discharge from sinks, is an essential part of
house drainage. Without paving, the surface of the ground
becomes worn in holes, where, in wet weather, water stands,
whilst at all times an unpaved surface near the common door
of a dwelling is in a dirty condition.
At 70 houses paving of either asphalt, concrete or blue
bricks was carried out. At many houses in the Borough
where the conditions are not such as to enable one to say tnat
the existing state of affairs is a nuisance or injurious to health,
paving would undoubtedly tend to prevent undesirable and
insanitary conditions, and the proposed Bye-laws under Section
25 of the Public Health (Amendment) Act, (awaiting the consent
of the Local Government Board) would facilitate necessary
measures for improvement being taken.
Shop Hours Act, 1892-1895.—In my last Report I detailed
at some length the work carried out under the provisions of
these Acts, and the results of inspections made at shops to
which they apply, especially in those cases where Section 4
of the Act of 1892, which requires that "a Notice where
young persons are employed shall be exhibited by the employer
in a conspicuous place, showing the number of hours in the
week during which a young person may lawfully be employed
in such shop" was neglected.
I would again draw attention to the fact that in accordance
with the instructions of the Sanitary Committee, in
every instance where no such Notice was exhibited, the provisions
of the Acts were explained, a copy of the Notice left,
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