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be retained elsewhere than in a public mortuary or in a room not used at
the time as a dwelling place, sleeping place, or workroom, for more than
48 hours, without the sanction in writing of the Medical Officer of
Health, or of a registered medical practitioner. By Sec. 9 of the same
Act, "where any body is retained in a house so as to endanger the health
of the inmates, any justice may, on the application of the Medical
Officer of Health, order the body to be removed to any available
mortuary, and direct the same to be buried."
Work of the Public Health Department.—Table No. IV. contains full
details of the work carried out by the District Inspectors.
3,100 inspections of houses and premises were made during the
year, and 5,749 re-inspections were made after order or notice had been
served; 489 orders were made for the cleansing, whitewashing and
repair of houses; 302 for the repair, 141 for the ventilating, and 289 for
the re-construction of house drains; 308 waterclosets were repaired
or cleansed, 60 ventilated, and 268 provided with new pans and
apparatus; 50 dustbins were repaired or covered, and 105 new
receptacles provided. The paving of yards in the vicinity of the house
is a subject of considerable sanitary importance; 147 notices were
served in the year for the repairs of pavements, and in 36 instances
to be renewed entirely. Cisterns came in for notice, 270 were ordered
to be cleansed, repaired, and recovered, and 18 new to be provided
Animals, chiefly poultry, were found to be improperly kept in 16
oases. For the removal of refuse and dung no less than 454 notices and
orders were required; 15 dung receptacles were re-constructed or new
provided.
The number of applications to examine the drainage of private
houses was 120, rather less than in previous years. The total number
of complaints received during the year was 240, an increase of 8 on the
preceding year.
The total number of notices served for sanitary defects was 1,123;
of these 859 were cautionary, and 361 statutory notices of intention
to proceed.