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23
REMOVAL OF AGED, INFIRM OR PHYSICALLY INCAPACITATED PERSONS.
Under Section 28 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1928, the borough
council have power to remove to a hospital, infirmary, institution or other similar place, aged,
infirm or physically incapcitated persons living under insanitary conditions.
During the year, one case was dealt with. It was that of a woman who lived alone in a slip
room on the ground floor. She was 74 years of age and had no source of income other
than the old age pension of ten shillings per week. Her husband was dead and she had one son
who had not visited her for five years and made no allowance. She was living under deplorably
filthy and verminous conditions. She refused to go to hospital and on the 1st March a magistrate's
order for her compulsory removal to the Kensington Institution was obtained. On the 21st June
the court ordered her detention for a further period of three months, which expired
on the 20th September. Up to January, 1933, the woman remained in the institution voluntarily,
but then came out; and, at the time of writing (May, 1933), she is looked after by friends.
No circumstances have arisen which would warrant her removal again to the Institution.
THE RATS AND MICE (DESTRUCTION) ACT, 1919.
The council have delegated their powers under the Act to the public health committee, and
each sanitary inspector makes inspections in his district for the purpose of detecting rat-infested
premises and reports to the medical officer of health cases in which the occupiers are not taking
all practicable steps to destroy the rats or to prevent their premises from becoming infested.
A rat officer is employed to assist in the work of rat destruction under the supervision of
the sanitary inspectors. He has carried out good work during the year, as is evidenced by the
following table :—
Number of individual premises visited by the rat officer
on receipt of complaint .... 169
Total number of visits paid .... '2,796
Number of poison baits laid during the year - - 101,350
„ „ disappeared - - - 92,900
„ „ removed by the rat officer - 8,450
Number of premises where concreting of basement floors has
been carried out under the direction of sanitary inspectors
to prevent the ingress of rats 22
Number of premises where other repairs have been carried
out under the direction of sanitary inspectors to prevent
the ingress of rats .... 127
Number of sewer defects allowing egress of rats made good 7
Number of statutory notices served under the Rats and
Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919 -• - - 1
Number of premises cleared of rats ... 183
During the National Rat Week, held in November, special measures of rat destruction were
put in hand in the borough council sewers, at the borough council depots and on railway and
canal property in the borough. A report of the work done was subsequently published.
NUISANCES FROM PIGEONS.
Section 52 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1927, provides that, for the
purpose of abating or mitigating any nuisance, annoyance or damage ca:used by the congregation at
any place in the borough of house doves or pigeons having, or believed by the borough council to
have no owner, or of preventing or minimising any such nuisance, annoyance or damage which
might, in the opinion of the council, be so caused, the council may seize and destroy or sell any
such house doves or pigeons in excess of such number as the council may consider reasonable, and
take such steps as they may deem necessary for this purpose. It is necessary, however, in the first
place for the council to obtain consent to the measures adopted by them from the person or body
in whom the building or land upon which the birds congregate is vested.
During the year 1932, 202 pigeons were killed and 36 eggs destroyed. Since June, 1928,
when the council first took action under this section, 1,151 pigeons have been destroyed.