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HOUSING.
The routine housing work of the Public Health Department has been
carried on as in former years. This consists mainly of the inspection of
houses on complaint or other information being received, on the occurrence
of infectious disease and on house-to-house inspection; as the result of the
inspections, notices are served on the responsible person to carry out the work
and legal steps are taken where necessary. In many cases advice is given by
the inspectors on housing and other questions.
Rat infestation is investigated by the Council's Rat Officer, who refers
cases of defective drains to the inspectors. Under the Rats and Mice
(Destruction) Act, the primary responsibility for destroying rats on land and
buildings rests with the occupier, but the Rat Officer investigates all rat
complaints and destroys rats in private houses free of charge.
House-to-House Inspection. At the beginning of the year the Council
decided to appoint an additional Inspector for House-to-House inspection, and
the new Inspector commenced duty on the 1st May, 1934. Until the end of
the year the two Housing Inspectors selected for House-to-House inspection,
streets which contained houses suitable for registration under the London
County Council Byelaws with respect to houses divided into separate tenements.
During the last month of the year this procedure was changed, and
all streets of houses suitable for occupation by members of the working classes
are now being House-to-House inspected, irrespective of their suitability or