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69
SANITARY WORK.
Dust Removal. House Refuse is collected once a week and is either disposed of by
cremation in the Council's destructor at Wood Lane or removed by barge from the wharf in
Kensal Road. The period of seven days is the maximum period during which the Council are
permitted by the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, to allow refuse to accumulate on premises
within their district. Trade refuse is removed by the Council on payment of a fee in accordance
with the provisions of Section 33 of the same Act. Fish offal and other offensive trade products,
which could be removed on application as trade refuse, are for the most part removed and sold by
the persons to whom this class of refuse belongs. In compliance with notices served by the Sanitary
Inspectors, 630 new moveable ash-bins of galvanised iron have been provided during the year, and
190 fixed ash-pits of brick have been abolished under the powers conferred by Section 23 of the
London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1904.
Drainage Work.—All drainage work in connection with new buildings is carried out under
the supervision of the Borough Engineer, who also supervises the construction of drains on
existing premises where the work is undertaken by the owner on his own initiative. The
reconstruction of drains found to be defective by the sanitary inspectors is carried out under their
supervision, plans of any proposed alteration being submitted in the first instance to the Borough
Engineer and then handed on to the Public Health Department. During the year „ house drains
have been reconstructed under notices served by the Sanitary Inspectors.
Nuisance from Smoke.—268 observations of chimney shafts in the Borough were made, and
notices were served in two instances where black smoke was seen issuing in such quantities as to be
a nuisance. In the following case proceedings were instituted under Section 23 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, which makes it an offence to so use a furnace that the smoke is not consumed,
or to carry on any trade which occasions effluvia or otherwise annoys the neighbourhood or
inhabitants without using the best practicable means for preventing such effluvia or annoyance. The
defendant occupied a laundry, in the furnace of which he used a cheap, fine coal in place of coke,
which burns without smoke. Serious annoyance was caused to persons in the neighbourhood by the
soot and sparks which issued from the chimney shaft, and were blown by the wind into the yards
of neighbouring houses The notices served were disregarded, and as the result of the proceedings
which were instituted, the Bench inflicted a penalty of 40s. with £2 2s. costs. In a second case
black smoke was observed, on January 8th, issuing during a period of 65 minutes from a chimney
shaft, in reference to which a notice had been served four months previously. The persons
responsible for the nuisance wrote a letter stating that they had been unable to obtain the fuel
they were in the habit of using, and their explanation was accepted by the Committee, who did
not recommend the institution of legal proceedings.
Public Conveniences.—The Council provide five public lavatories containing water-closets:
two are tor men only, and in three accommodation is provided for both sexes. In the women's
lavatories there is free accommodation for those who are unable to pay. 1 here are also conveniences
for women at eleven railway stations in the Borough. The public-house urinals entered from
the street and available to the public number 75. The public conveniences in the Borough have
been regularly inspected during the year, those for women in stations and elsewhere having been
kept under observation by the Lady Sanitary Inspectors. On June 20th the Public Health
Committee considered a letter from the Women Sanitary Inspectors' Association, urging the
desirability of sufficient free sanitary accommodation being provided for women in London and other
districts. In the form of a resolution which was approved by the Council, the Committee found
that in Kensington there was a considerable lack of free accommodation for women, and expressed
the hope that the Works Committee would give their earnest consideration to the subject with a
view to further provision being made in the near future.
Sanitary Inspection.—A complete list of members of the staff of the Public Health Department
will be found on the page following the title page of this report. For the purposes of sanitary
inspection the Borough is divided into ten districts, one of which is allotted to each of the ten male
sanitary inspectors, who carry out duties under the Public Health Act, the Sale of Food and Drugs
Acts, the London County Council General Powers Acts, and so far as men's workshops are
concerned under the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901. A special enquiry officer has been appointed
for the investigation of infectious disease and the supervision of disinfection. There are two female
sanitary inspectors, whose duties consist in the inspection of workshops where women are employed,
and in visiting cases of measles, whooping cough and consumption. The work of the two health
visitors consists in visiting mothers of the poorer class and advising them in the care and management
of their infants. A summary of the work of the sanitary inspectors will be found in Table
VI., Appendix, p. 84.