London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hackney 1905
Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1905
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The following is a table showing the total cost for the collection and disposal of house refuse during the last ten years:—
| Year. | Cost. | Remarks. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| s. | d. | The borough destructor was opened for the destruction of house refuse in May, 1901. The year April, 1900 to March, 1901 was the last year during which the refuse was removed and disposed of by contractors at a rate per load. | ||
| 1905 | 14,729 | 8 | 11½ | |
| 1904 | 14,703 | 3 | 9 | |
| 1903 | 13,569 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1902 | 13,964 | 19 | 2 | |
| 1901 | 18,284 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1900 | 18,579 | 15 | 4 | |
| 1899 | 16,901 | 9 | 4 | |
| 1898 | 15,952 | 6 | 4 | |
| 1897 | 15,195 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1896 | 13,630 | 7 | 7 | |
It will be seen from the above that the Borough has been an
immense gainer by changing the system of disposal from contract
disposal to destruction by fire. The gain has been a double one.
Offensive refuse instead of being dumped in places which eventually
may become building sites, where it might be prejudical to health,
has been immediately robbed by the agency of fire of its prejudicial
properties, and reduced to one-third its bulk. This change has also
been effected at a greatly reduced cost, and corresponding saving to
the ratepayers. The extent to which the cost for the removal and
disposal of house refuse has been reduced during the last four years,
may be obtained by taking the average annual cost for this work
during these four years, and contrasting it with the annual average
cost for the last four years during which the house refuse was
removed and disposed of by contractors. The average annual cost
for the last four years (1902 to 1905) amounts to £11,241; the
average annual cost during the last four years of contractors' work
(1898 to 1901) amounted to £17,429; therefore it will be seen that
there has been an annual saving to the Borough during the years
1902 to 1905 of £3,188, and a total saving for the four years of
£12,752. This must be regarded in all respects as very satisfactory.
The saving thus brought about however has taken place in the
cost of collection only. The cost of disposal under the contract