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4
The Medical Officer was directed to make arrangements in
accordance with the instructions of the Council, and reported to the
Public Health Committee that he would require the services of seven
additional temporary inspectors for a period of at least eight weeks,
during which time he proposed to examine between two and three
thousand houses.
In April, seven inspectors, viz.:—Miss A. Gough, Messrs.
Butterworth, Dooley, Hindhaugh, Lamble, Loughlin, and Wilson,
were appointed. After three weeks' work Mr. Dooley withdrew his
services. On April 22nd, as soon as was practicable after the Easter
recess, operations were commenced. As far as could be ascertained,
every street containing tenement houses or houses let in weekly
lodgings was scheduled, together with every Mews in the Borough,
whilst advantage was at the same time taken to make a house
inspection of certain shops and other property which it was considered
desirable to visit. Although the reference was primarily to overcrowding,
it was thought the opportunity should not be missed of
examining into the sanitary condition and ventilation of closets,
cisterns, traps, wastes to baths and sinks, the paving of yards, and
accommodation provided for the deposit of house refuse.
tfo attempt was made to systematically examine the main drains,
but whenever a complaint of bad smells was made the fact was reported
to the divisional Inspector of the District, and steps taken to examine
the drain. Steps were also taken to tabulate ihe rents of both single
rooms, and sets of rooms, and by the special desire of the Public
Health Commitee, information was to be obtained as to the nature of
the occupations of the inhabitants and the places where they were
employed. These latter questions were so clearly ultra vires that my
instructions to the inspectors were to obtain the information politely,
if possible, but not to insist where the questions were objected to.
The whole of the information was carefully tabulated in a series
of 15 well bound volumes which will form a useful fund of information
to my successor in office.