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161
having been to throw upon the rates the cost of disinfecting
houses, and cleansing and disinfecting bedding, clothing, &c.
The cost of this work has increased since the Act came into
operation at the beginning of 1892 : the amount expended in
1897 was $1,041, as compared with £381 in 1891. In the
latter year the weight of the articles disinfected was under
twenty tons, and their number about 9,400 only, whereas in
1897, 25,497 articles were dealt with, of an aggregate weight
of 54 tons, 10 cwt. Eleven-hundred and thirty-six rooms, in
1,006 houses, were disinfected after infectious disease by your
Vestry's staff, as compared with 364 in 1891.
In the report for 1893 (pp. 215-217), under the heading
"Duties of the Sanitary Authority with respect to Disinfection,"
I explained the state of the law, and described your
Vestry's practice in regard to this matter. I need only observe
now, that the expenditure on disinfection, including cleansing
of clothing, bedding, &c., will necessarily vary from year to
year, in proportion to the relative prevalence of infectious
disease; but under existing arrangements it is likely to increase
as the public become better acquainted with the provisions of
the Act. I append a statement of the monthly cost of this
work in 1897, amounting, as before stated, to £1,041, irrespective
of the wages of the disinfector, as compared with
£381 in 1891
£ s. d.
January 86 16 2
February 62 13 6
March 66 14 1
April 46 4 7
May 64 17 11
June 67 3 4
July 81 16 6
August 84 15 6
September 125 2 8
.October 129 10 3
November 136 19 6
December 88 2 3