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some reluctance among the second mentioned in giving information;
but in the case of verminous persons they have been only too glad
to pass the blame on to any cause that may be suggested to them.
I therefore advised that no support be given to the recommendation.
The arrangements for the loading of household refuse and manure
at the East Dulwich Station go on as before, and no further progress
has been made with any steps to do away with the "nuisance"
which was denounced in such exaggerated and imaginative terms
more than three years ago. Had the condition of things been what
was described, and that by a responsible official, as the cause of
many deaths in the Infirmary, it would appear that there has been
serious neglect of duty on the part of those authorities who can
restrain this Borough Council from doing anything which is prejudicial
to the public health, for no legal proceedings have been
taken by them to put a stop to the so-called nuisance. Near the end
of 1915 the Infirmary was offered to, and accepted by, the military
authorities as a war hospital. Considering the allegations to which
the Guardians have been a party, while at the same time giving them
the fullest credit for the highest motives, it is difficult to understand
their mentality in offering a hospital with such a supposed "deathtrap"
in close proximity ; and if the nuisance were a real one, it
would be equally hard to approve the judgment of the military
authorities in accepting it. The whole proceedings may be well
regarded as bearing testimony to the extravagant and groundless
charges which have been made of the nuisance arising from the dust.
The yard has been visited almost daily by the inspector, and
occasionally by me, but I have never yet seen any nuisance caused
by the transhipping of the dust.
FACTORY AND WORKSHOPS ACT.
In accordance with the provisions of the above Act, I submit a
report showing the work that has been carried out during the
year 1915.
With the continuance of the war, and the resulting dislocation
of trade and labour, one would not have been surprised to see a great
change in the amount and character of the work carried out under
these Acts. But this has not occurred, and the figures and lists
show no remarkable difference from those of last year. There were
530 inspections of factories against 344, and 2,197 of workshops
compared with 1,918 last year. In fact, the figures are now returning
to those of 1912. The tendency towards the gradual elimination
of the small man, and his replacement by the larger concerns, seems
to go on, for there were 70 fewer in the number of workshop inspections.
The general improvement in sanitary condition mentioned
last year does not seem to have maintained itself; in fact, ground
has been lost, for there are 11 more nuisances set out in table 2 than
were present in 1914. Even though the inspection was more frequent,
the defects have increased in greater proportion. On examination
of the table it will appear that the increase is almost always