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130
deposit of house refuse of recent date. I was previously under
the impression that this was not so. Two cases of Enteric
Fever and one case of Diphtheria occurred at a house in Gavin
Street, and, on examination, it was found that the drains were
defective, and that the ground under the wooden floor of the
basement consisted of sodden house refuse; there was no
layer of concrete below the boards.
The building of houses on deposits of house refuse is well
known to be a potent cause of Diarrhoea, and is very likely to
conduce to Enteric Fever, Diphtheria, and other diseases.
The Inspectors' Work (see Table IX.)
59. 1,620 houses were inspected (house-to-house), or 100
more than last year. At this rate, it will take six years to go
through the parish, whereas it is desirable that this should be
done every three years. But, having regard to the 5,000 reinspections,
and more than 3,000 special inspections for
infectious diseases, &c., I think it is satisfactory that so many
house-to-house inspections were made. The large number of
re-inspections, after service of notices, is a striking indication
of how the Inspectors' time is wasted by people who choose to
treat the Vestry with contempt, and pay no attention to its
formal demands.
60. The large number of choked and defective drains (483,
i.e., 61 in excess of last year), occupied much of the Inspectors'
time. An excessive proportion of these occurred in the Reidhaven
Road district. In 408 houses the drains were tested
by the smoke test.
61. I recommended, during the year, that all new drains
should be tested by the water test before being passed. This
test is no more searching for superficial defects than the smoke