London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
West Ham 1899
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1899
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61
Collection of House Refuse.— The house refuse of the
Borough is collected twice a week, the receptacles being placed outside
the houses by the occupiers, and collected by the Corporation carts.
Early in the year the Council resolved that all workmen employed
by the Corporation should have a working week of 48 hours.
This necessitated considerable increase in clerical work, and alterations
in the staff employed, and in the general arrangements connected
with the collection. These will be found in two memoranda submitted
by me to the Council, which are reprinted at the end of this report.
The quantity of house refuse put out varies so considerably from
day to day that it is found impossible to limit the hours of all to 48
each week, but by a give-and-take system the extra hours worked by
any man during one week are allowed for by his working less than
48 hours during a subsequent week, and at the time of writing the
average 48-hour week is maintained very satisfactorily.
The total amount collected during the 305 working days of the year 1899 amounted to 26,635 loads, an increase of 1,241 loads on the previous year.
| No. of loads. | Approximate weight in tons. | Average daily collection in loads. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Division | 16,053 | 24,079 | 52.1 |
| Southern Division | 10,582 | 18,518 | 34.2 |
The shoots on which the above house refuse was deposited are
set out below:—
In the Borough.
Loads.
Carpenters' Road (Mr. Base) 4,762
Temple Mills (Messrs. Abbott) 3,686
„ (Mr. Chapman) 3,641
Beckton Road (Mr. Golding) 9,903
South-West Ham Goods Station (Mr. Allen) 679