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every evening, for which purpose water is specially turned on and
high pressure main used to give sufficient force.
" There is therefore no dearth of water all day.
" rothbury buildings, rothbury road.
" Water from main with draw-off taps in each tenement.
" Water turned on twice each day.
" Great difficulty to catch water on the second and third floors;
merely a dribble. The Clerk was directed to communicate with the
Water Company requesting that similar arrangements be made as
regard to Leonards and Rothbury Buildings as had been made in
the case of Craven Buildings.
" Water jars supplied.
" Cart calls each day.
" W.cs. in foul condition for want of water."
September 22nd.
" The death-rate during the past fortnight has reached the enormous
height of 38.9, and is entirely due to death amongst infants and very
young children from diarrhœal debility, and diseases of the stomach
and bowels, 36 of the 50 deaths having occurred amongst children
under two years of age, and the large majority of those were infants
of a few months. I have no doubt that the extraordinary and
persistent high temperature has been largely the cause of these
deaths. The weakest have gone to their graves. I have not been
able at present to connect any death directly with the short water
supply: but I can well imagine that the sufferings of these babies
may have been much increased by lack of water for cooling purposes.
The arrangements decided upon to relieve, as far as possible, the
shortage of water, are complete and in full work. The Medical
Inspector of the Local Government Board has been down and
C