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53
DISINFECTION.
Bedding, clothing, etc., are disinfected at the Council's Disinfecting Station at Wood Lane by
exposure to steam under a pressure varying between 15 and '20 lbs. above atmospheric
pressure for fifteen minutes. Soiled linen is disinfected by boiling under a pressure of 10 lbs. above
atmospheric pressure for ten minutes in a rotary washing machine. A formalin cupboard is used
for the disinfection by formalin of leather, furs and other articles which cannot be exposed to high
temperatures.
Rooms vacated by persons suffering from infectious disease are disinfected by gaseous
formaldehyde, which is generated by the volatilisation of paraform tablets, 20 tablets being used
for each 1,000 cubic feet of room space. Verminous rooms are disinfected by the burning of 1 lb.
of sulphur for each 1,000 cubic feet.

The total weight of the bedding, clothing, &c., disinfected was 47 tons, 1 cwt. and 6 lbs.
The number of articles disinfected was 17,846 and the number disinfected and washed, 1,001. In
addition, the laundry work for the Medicinal Baths was performed at the Disinfecting Station; the
number of articles washed was: Towels, 10,199; Sheets, 518; and Dressing Gowns and
Blankets, 279.
Whilst the Hammersmith Borough Council's disinfecting apparatus was undergoing overhaul
and repair in the Summer, infected articles from that Borough were dealt with at the Kensington
Disinfecting Station. A cheque of 7s. 6d. for services rendered was paid into the Council's
funds by the Hammersmith Authority.
DISINFECTION OF LIBRARY BOOKS.
In view of the difficulty of securing efficient disinfection of books, the Libraries Committee
authorise the Medical Officer of Health to destroy all Public Library volumes removed from
infected houses, this gives Kensington borrowers complete protection from infection from the
Council's books.
Books from private subscribing libraries found in infected houses are dealt with as follows :
(a) Books which have not been exposed to infection.—Disinfected by formalin vapour and returned
to the subscriber.
(b) Books which are believed to be infected.—A notification is sent to the Librarian. The householder
is informed that the books will not be accepted at the Library and that they can
be disinfected by formalin or destroyed at his option ; he is advised that destruction is
the only really safe method of dealing with the books but that this will only be carried
out on the understanding that the Council will not pay compensation.
VERMINOUS ROOMS CLEANSED BY LANDLORDS.
Eight hundred and forty-two verminous rooms were cleansed during the year in response
to notices served under the powers conferred by the London County Council (General Powers)
Acts, 1904 and 1922.
DUST REMOVAL.
House refuse is collected once a week in most areas in the Borough but more frequent
collections are undertaken in certain special areas. The refuse is either disposed of by cremation
in the Council's destructor at Wood Lane or removed by barge from the wharves in Kensal Road
and Lots Road. 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,
662 new movable ash-bins of galvanised iron have been provided during the year, and 110 fixed
ash-pits of brick have been abolished under the powers conferred by Section 23 of the London
County Council (General Powers) Act, 1904.