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person and clothing of such child to be properly cleansed in suitable premises, and with suitable
appliances, and if necessary for that purpose may, without any warrant other than this Act,
convey to such premises, and there detain such child until such cleansing is effected"
(section 36). Section 37 confers similar power on the Medical Officer witti regard to the
inmates of Common Lodging Houses; notice in writing to be given to the verminous inmate
"requiring him, within 24 hours, to submit his person and clothing to be cleansed in such
suitable premises as may be specified in the notice, and by means of any suitable appliances
available thereat for that purpose." In default, the Medical Officer (or his deputy) may convey
to suitable premises, and there detain such inmate until the cleansing is effected. For
obstructing the entry of the Medical Officer into a common lodging-house, for the purpose, or
for refusal of the verminous inmate to allow examination of his person or clothing, or to allow
his person or clothing to be cleansed, the penalty, on summary conviction, is forty shillings.
Power is given to the Council and to Sanitary Authorities, by section 38, to make and carry into
effect agreements and arrangements for the purposes of this Part of the Act, "for, or with
respect to the cleansing of the person or clothing of verminous persons, and for the use by the
Council, for the purpose of effecting such cleansing of any persons, or appliances adapted for
such purpose, and belonging to or used by such Sanitary Authority." Liability to a penalty not
exceeding forty shillings is incurred by any person obstructing the entry of the Medical Officer
into a common lodging-house, or refusing to allow his person or clothing to be examined, and if
necessary cleansed. The examination and cleansing of females is to be effected by females only;
i.e., "by a person duly qualified as a medical practitioner, or by a female person duly
authorised" (39).
The Council are empowered (by Section 40) to make Regulations with respect to the mode of
carrying into effect the provisions of this part of the Act; but regulations will have no force or
effect until they have been submitted to and confirmed by the Local Government Board.
It will be observed that the compulsory powers conferred by the Act apply to two classes of
persons only—public elementary school children, and inmates of common lodging-houses, both being
under the jurisdiction of the County Council, who addressed to the Metropolitan Borough Councils
a communication setting out the provisions of Part V., in which it was stated that—
"Before making any definite arrangements to put the Act into force, it [was] necessary that the
Council should obtain the fullest possible information as to the extent of the provision already existing,
the method of disinfection of verminous clothing and of dealing with a verminous condition of the hair;
the arangements in regard to the supervision by the cleansing staff; and the facilities which the
Metropolitan Borough Councils would be prepared to afford the Council in the matter."
The Borough Council were invited to favour the County Council with information on various
points referred to in the communication, and to "indicate also what facilities [could] be afforded to
the Council in its administration of the sections of the Act in question" (36 and 37), the provisions
of which were recited.
In reporting on this communication, I pointed out that " as regards [verminous] children, no
provision for cleansing had been made in the borough, whilst as regards adults—common lodgers
and others, very little use had been made of the facilities provided by the Kensington Sanitary
Authority under the Cleansing of Persons Act, 1897, under a still subsisting arrangement with the
Board of Guardians for the cleansing, by their staff at the casual ward, Mary Place, of verminous
adults." The report continued as follows:—"Such being the state of the case, it is open to consideration
whether the Council might not co-operate with the County Council, in regard to the
cleansing at the casual wards, of inmates of common-lodging-houses, under the arrangement with
the Guardians—so long as it may be practicable, i.e., until the work, which may be expected to
increase under the operation of compulsory powers, shall have become too great for the staff there
to cope with. As regards school children; this is a work for which, it is to be assumed, provision
will be made by the County Council, and which, presumably, will be carried out under the supervision
of the Education Committee's school nurses. I do not think it will entail any serious difficulty.
. . . Probably one cleansing station would suffice for the needs of the schools in the northern
division of the borough—where it will be most (if not exclusively) wanted. The nucleus of such
a station exists at the Council's schools, Sirdar Road, where on the playing roof of one of the
buildings, baths supplied with hot and cold water were provided some years ago, but are not now
in use."
The Council may be reminded that they possess powers for enforcing cleansing of houses
infested with vermin, under Section 20 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1904
—powers which were exercised last year in respect to 137 houses, to some of which the attention of
the sanitary inspectors had been directed by head teachers, and the school nurse, in reports with
respect to verminous children.