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5
It is regrettable again to have to allude to the serious and
even dangerous overcrowding which exists in some of the lower
Wards of the Borough. The fact that, in numerous instances,
families of 5, 6, 7, 8 and even 9 persons are living in a single room
in Battersea, and that hundreds of families are compelled to live
under such distressing conditions of housing inadequacy as still
prevail in the less prosperous areas of the Borough, is a matter of
grave public health concern. It is to be hoped that steps will be
taken by those responsible to speed up the provision of dwellings
at rentals within the reach of those most in need of adequate
housing accommodation.
The establishment by the Council, at one of the Maternity and
Child Welfare Centres, of a Clinic for preventive inoculation against
diphtheria is a notable feature of the year's public health preventive
measures and, from experience elsewhere, should prove a valuable
aid in the reduction of the incidence of, and mortality from, this
fatal infectious disease, especially amongst children.
The calamity which, early in January of 1928, occurred to
many of the riverside Boroughs, owing to the serious flooding of
dwelling-houses resulting from an abnormally high tide, affected
many hundreds of houses in North Battersea. Fortunately in
Battersea there was no loss of life, but much distress and hardship
were occasioned by the flood. A brief summary of the incident,
and of the steps taken for the relief of sufferers, appears on page
74 of the Annual Report.
In conclusion, it is my privilege to acknowledge the support
and assistance so generously accorded to me by the Mayor, the
Chairmen of the various Committees, and the Members of the Council.
To my colleagues, the Chief Officers of Departments, and to the
Staff of the Health Department, my thanks are also due for the
valuable assistance always willingly rendered.
G. Quin Lennane,
Medical Officer of Health.
Town Hall,
Battersea, S.W. 11.