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58
VACCINATION.
The following table is a summary of the returns rendered by the
vaccination officers for the year 1897, respecting the vaccination of
children in the Hackney district. It will be seen that out of a total
of 6,332 births, no less than 3,808 were unaccounted for—a
percentage of 61-7. The following are the percentages of cat-es
unvaccinated in the four registration sub-districts: Stamford Hill,
37%; West Hackney, 46-2%; Hackney, 65'5 %; South Hackney,
66-5 %.
The percentage of unvaccinated children has been gradually
increasing during the last few years, and for practical purposes,
vaccination may be said to be almost at a stand-still in Hackney.
The Bill which is now before Parliament will, it is hoped,
stimulate public interest in a branch of preventive medicine which,
by every test applied to it, has been proved to lessen the prevalence
of small-pox and greatly reduces its mortality.
REMOVAL OF HOUSE REFUSE.
During 1897 the number of loads of house refuse removed from
the district was 50,788 at a cost of £11,655 15s., being an increase of
6,126 loads and £1,387 19s. 3d. on the previous year. The prices
paid per load and the number of loads removed during the several
months of the year are given in the table below. The above increase
in loads and cost is a large one, but is partly due to an increased
number of occupied houses in the district, and to greater vigilance
being exercised by the dustmen in securing the removal of all refuse
from the houses they are allowed to enter. I may here add, the
more general adoption of portable dustbins in place of the old
offensive and insanitary dustbins is a great assistance to dustmen in
the removal of refuse.
In addition to the above cost, the sum of £2,152 3s. 7d. was
expended in wages to the Vestry's dustmen, bringing up the total
cost of removal of house refuse in Hackney for the year 1897 to
£15,195 7s. Id.
In my last year's report I gave a list of the number of requests
received for the removal of house refuse for the years 1894-5 and 6.
This year I give the number received during 1897. It will be seen