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145
HOUSE-TO-HOUSE INSPECTION.
So far as time permitted, house-to-house inspection was
carried on during the year, as required by section 1 of the
Public Health (London) Act, 1891; streets being dealt with
as a whole in conformity with the instructions of your Vestry.
This work had long been in practical abeyance owing to more
pressing engagements of the sanitary inspectors in regard to
matters requiring attention day-by-day. But when, in 1896,
these officers were relieved of the duty of supervising works
of repair of underground drainage, it was felt that some of
their time should be devoted to this important duty. I was
of opinion, moreover, that their attention should be given to
some of the better class streets, the houses in which are not
always so well sanitated, structurally, as the houses in many
of the poorer streets, which have properly received attention
to the largest extent. I was led to suspect that this might
prove to be so by observing in the inspectors' diaries, that
when they had had occasion to inspect houses of a superior
class, on complaint, or by reason of the occurrence of infectious
disease thereat, sanitary apparatus was not infrequently
found to be defective in construction or condition. It would
be well to have made a systematic sanitary survey of all
the houses in the parish, but this is not practicable with the
present staff of inspectors.