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115
department in the Town Hall which works harder, or does better
work, than the Public Health Department.
Some of the new Councillors have thought that causes of complaint
sometimes have not been removed so quickly as they might
have been, or ought to have been; but complaints are always
promptly attended to, and such delay as may occasionally occur is
due, in the main, to procrastination of owners, or their agents,
sometimes to builders, and to the fact that Sanitary Inspectors are
compelled to observe legal formalities with respect to the serving
of intimation and statutory notices, and the taking of legal proceedings;
difficulty in obtaining, and the high price of both materials
and labour, and the impecuniosity of some owners of property have
been, not infrequently, contributory causes of delay. On several
occasions Councillors have brought definite complaints of delay
before the Public Health Committee, and invariably, so far, a satisfactory
explanation has been forthcoming.
The work of the department has greatly increased, and
the staff of Sanitary Inspectors has been shorthanded. During the
year 1919, the Staff of Male Inspectors nominally comprised fifteen
permanent men, but in the early part of the year several were still
absent on military service, and during the remainder of the year the
staff numbered only fourteen, including two who were retained,
although normally they would have been superannuated, and two
who were engaged temporarily, but who have now (1920) been
appointed permanently. Further, in view of the extra work in
connection with "Housing" the sanction of the Ministry of Health
was sought, and obtained, for the appointment of three additional
Inspectors, so that the full staff of Sanitary Inspectors will number
eighteen, of whom sixteen have already been appointed.
The increase of work necessitated an increase of staff also in
the Clerical branch from five to eight, in the number of Health
Visitors from six to nine, and in that, of the Tuberculosis Health
Visitors from two to three.
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