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165
lodgings, tenemented and otherwise, it is obviously beyond
the capacity of any one inspector to cope with the duties.
Nothing but the "frequent house-to-house inspection," recommended
by the sanitary committee, night visits, and
stern punitive proceedings will avail, so long as the
houses are owned, let, and occupied as they now are.
In the fourth monthly report for 1899, I suggested that
the special area should again be placed under the sole charge
of an inspector, and to secure this I pointed out that the outlay
would be recouped in fines recovered; and it is fitting that lawbreakers
should be made to pay for their offences! It would,
moreover, be far more than repaid by reduction in the
expenditure caused by the sickness and mortality of the
district, which entail a great burden on the rates for parish
relief. On this point I recalled to attention the fact that
during the poor-law year 1896-7, there were upwards of 700
admissions from the district to the parish infirmary, as shown
in the annual report for 1897-98, whilst 1,189 medical orders
were issued to the out-door sick. In that year "Nottingdale,"
which comprises only one forty-third of the population
of the parish, was responsible for one-fifth of the admissions
to the infirmary. It is obvious that if the amount of sickness
could be reduced in even a very small ratio, the saving
would greatly outweigh the expenditure on the whole of the
inspectorial staff. The sanitary committee are sensible of
the deplorable state of the district, and though they made
no recommendation for increased inspection, I am persuaded
that the individual members would welcome any means by
which so sad a state of affairs might be ameliorated.
In connection with the magisterial proceedings in the
cases of indecent occupation and overcrowding, &c., above
referred to, a handbill, setting out the offences and the fines