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house, Mary Place, in the Potteries, was made available, on payment of a small fee—an unsatisfactory
arrangement which is still in force. Little use has been made of the apparatus, owing,
probably, to ignorance of the arrangement on the part of the poor intended to be benefited; and
possibly, to some extent, to the locality and ownership of the apparatus. The Act is
practically a dead letter, save in a few boroughs—St. Marylebone and St. Pancras, in particular,
where, proper equipments having been provided, several thousand cleansing operations are carried
out in the course of the year; much to the comfort, doubtless, of dirty and verminous persons, who,
in St. Marylebone, come, for the most part, from an adjacent Salvation Army Shelter. An effort
has been made latterly in this borough to induce the residents at common lodging-houses to avail
themselves of the means provided for this purpose.
PAVING OF YARDS.
A good many yards were paved, in conformity with the provisions of the Council's tenth
by-law. This is a work that might with advantage be considerably extended as being necessary
" for the prevention or remedy of insanitary conditions "—a fact sometimes lost sight of. That
paving is " necessary " for this purpose is indubitable, and the subject is deserving of the attention
of sanitary authorities; by whom, probably, more would be done, were due weight attached to the
hygienic importance of cleanliness and dryness in the surroundings of dwelling houses—a matter
to which attention was specially directed in my annual report for 1897 (page 146); the authority
of the late medical officer of the Local Government Board being cited in support of the views
therein expressed.
HYGIENIC STREET PAVING.
Little progress was made during the year in giving effect to recommendations made by the
Public Health Committee for the paving with asp'nalte of roads named in preceding annual reports.
In connexion with the new refuse destructor, machinery has been provided for the manufacture of
" clinker-asphalte " blocks for the paving of roads, in lieu of asphalte. This fact was adduced as
ground for delay in giving effect to the recommendations adverted to. At the date of this report
the machinery had not been brought into working order.
PUBLIC BATHS AND WASHHOUSES.
The washers in the year ended 31st March, 190G, were 71,004, compared with 71,448 in the
preceding twelve months; the bathers, 121,089 (males 91,733, females 29,356) compared with
104,913 in 1904-5. The total includes pupil teachers 523 (males 287, females 236), members of
evening continuation classes 2,999 (males 1,400 females 1,599), school children 27,704 (males
15,499, females 12,205), and 967 members of a boys' and girls' club (males 720, females 247).
I can only repeat here what has been remarked in many previous reports that, for the majority
of parishioners, the site of the establishment is not sufficiently central for bathers, and is too remote
for would-be washers. The same objection would apply to any single site in the Borough. What
is wanted is the provision, in convenient localities, of buildings on a modest scale to which the poor
in the central and southern districts might resort for laundry purposes.
UNDERGROUND ROOMS ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED.
In a few instances rooms "underground" were found to be illegally occupied. The illegal
occupation was in each case discontinued on the service of a written intimation or a statutory
notice.
NUISANCE FROM GAS WORKS.
Complaints were occasionally received of nuisance from the gas works at Kensal Green—a
subject fully dealt with in the annual report for 1894 (page 166.) There can be no doubt as to
the genuineness of the complaints, which receive confirmation from Willesden, the inhabitants of
that district suffering when Kensington people have no ground for complaint, and vice versd;