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is dirty and dilapidated. Another dangerous stairway leads to another
room. The brickwork is rotten and bulging, stove defective, scullery
defective, roof dilapidated, etc.
In another house where the staircase is dark and dangerous and the
stair treads defective, I found two children kept in the first floor room.
The door is kept shut, otherwise they might be injured if they tried to
descend the stairs. The mother told me they are carried down when
they are taken out.
In the representation made in 1920 there are some 24 streets of
houses involved. As the London County Council do not intend to deal
with the same and as our efforts (pending action taken by the County
Council) have been confined to calling for the remedy of the more
clamant nuisances and defects, I consider the time is ripe for dealing
with these houses piecemeal under the 1925 Housing Act.
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD.
(a) Milk Supply. Action taken : inspection of dairies ; administration
of the Milk and Dairies Order, 1926, and the Milk (Special
Designations) Order, 1923.
In my Survey Report last year I dealt with all the milk sellers on
the Register in consequence of the Milk and Dairies (Amendment)
Act, 1922. I pointed out that out of 122 purveyors of milk, 38 premises
were satisfactory ; 57 were fair; the remaining 27 being unsatisfactory.
Such things as coal, vinegar, paraffin oil, etc., were found to be sold by
small retailers of milk. The Council issued a serious warning to all
purveyors as to the necessity for cleanliness and clean methods, etc.
At a public meeting at the Town Hall, I impressed upon the public
the need for purchasing milk in bottles only—either the ordinary milk,
or, if they could afford it, one or other of the higher grades of milk.
An analysis was made of the proportion of bottled milk as against that
sold " loose " in cans, and it was noted that public opinion was moving
strongly in the direction of a " milk " conscience.
At the end of 1926 the number of milk sellers on the Register
was 163, of which number 38 were dairymen and 125 purveyors.
Eighteen applications for registration were made, of which number 13
were transfers of ownership, and 5 were new. All were registered
except 4 out of the 5 new applicants ; these were refused on the
grounds that the premises were not suitable. In each instance the