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32
MISCELLANEOUS
Canal Boats Act
The section of the Grand Surrey Canal passing through the Borough
was kept under observation by the District Inspector but no canal boats
were found of a type requiring inspection.
Common Lodging Houses
There is only one Common Lodging House in the Borough. This is
Carrington House which is maintained by the London County Council.
This building was erected in 1903 and it contains 814 separate cubicles,
for use by men only. In addition to the usual facilities for washing and
bathing, there is a reading room and a smoking room. The dining room
is provided with a large stove on which the men can cook their own meals,
and in addition, there is a canteen which provides excellent meals at a
low price.
A sick bay is provided on the ground floor for cases awaiting admission
to hospital. No nursing of any sort is provided but sick persons are not
so isolated as they would be in cubicles on an upper floor, and serious or
dangerous illness is less likely to be overlooked.
The standard of accommodation is high and it compares favourably
with many of the rooms occupied by single elderly men throughout the
district.
Laboratory Service
Food samples are normally sent to the Medical Research Laboratory
at County Hall, but clinical items, e.g., faeces specimens, continue to be
sent to the Park Hospital Laboratories.
The facilities at the Devonport Laboratory, Seamen's Hospital, Greenwich,
are occasionally used by general practitioners for the examination
of swabs and other specimens.
Mortuary and Coroner's Court
Before the war both the Boroughs of Deptford and Greenwich maintained
their own mortuaries and coroner's courts. By arrangement, and
following war damage, the coroner's court at Deptford and the mortuary
at Greenwich have been closed. The mortuary at Watson Street, Deptford,
serves parts of Greenwich and Woolwich, in addition to Deptford.
The number of bodies received at the mortuary is, as a result of this
arrangement, greatly increased. The total number of bodies received during
1955 was 585, of which 257 were received from Greenwich and 265 from
Woolwich. A fee of £1 Is. Od. per body is paid by the Greenwich and
Woolwich Borough Councils in respect of these admissions.
National Assistance Act, 1948
Burial of the Dead
Under Section 50 of the above Act it is the duty of the Council to