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yet, and that is the migration of rats through the County Council
sewers. If one excludes complaints about rats in the various
grain stores along the wharves and warehouses by the river's
edge, 99 per cent, of the complaints concerning rats in other parts
of the Borough show that these vermin find their way into the
houses from the large and small sewers in the Borough. It seems
somewhat useless, therefore, for one Borough to have an active
Bat Campaign, because, if the rats are banished locally, it is only
a matter of a very short time when a complete fresh supply
migrates from other parts of London through the London County
Council sewers. It seems to me, therefore, that the Engineers
of the London County Council should consider the question of
preventing these migrations of rats through their sewers, and
adopt some plan which would be applicable to the whole of
London. The question is, no doubt, a very difficult one, but still
it ought not to be insuperable.
Outworkers.
There were 281 outworkers on the Register at the end of
1920. 64 lists were sent in by firms in this Borough employing
outworkers. Table VI. of the Appendix shows the various trades
followed by outworkers in this district.
Maternity and Child Welfare.
As there were so many Voluntary and Municipal Centres for
Maternity and Child Welfare Work in the Borough, and the
number of the Health Visitors had been increased from four to
eight, it was decided to have a whole-time Assistant Medical
Officer of Health to organise and supervise the whole work, and,
at the same time, attend to as many Centres as convenient,
instead of having several part-time officers who were engaged by
the Council to look after the Municipal Centres.
As a result, the Council appointed, in the autumn, Dr. Stella
Churchill, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., D.P.H., and I have much
pleasure in submitting the report she has made to me on the
general subject of Maternity and Child Welfare.
The infantile mortality has shown a great decrease, not only
in Bermondsey, but in the country generally, for the year 1920,