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128
stances of defective w.c. apparatus. That is, in more than
half the houses in this district some defects were found in the
water closet or drains.
And it must he remembered that all these houses had been
inspected, and defects remedied in 1892. The result of such
defective drains and the frequent stoppage, must be that the
ground round the houses becomes infiltrated with filth; and
this is a more serious and lasting condition in a low-lying flat
neighbourhood than it would be on a slope.
The prevalence of diarrhoea in this district is no doubt
largely a result of this condition of the soil.
Summary.—To sum up, 1 have shewn that in the Reidhaven
Road District:
1. The general death-rate, the infantile death-rate, and
the death-rates from Diarrhoea and Enteric Fever
are all very high.
2. The death-rates from Diphtheria and Phthisis are
higher than in Plumstead.
3. The sewers do not sufficiently carry off the sewage.
4. The drains are very defective.
5. The general structural condition of the houses is very
defective.
6. The district is largely inhabited by a very poor and
ignorant class of inhabitants.
7. There is a considerable amount of overcrowding.