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39
whether defects are due to ordinary deterioration or war damage.
Owners and builders have to obtain a licence from the Council
if expenditure exceeds £10, and at the same time submit a specification
of the work required. These specifications are subject to careful
scrutiny owing to the operation of the Ministry of Health circular
dealing with the issue of building licences.
(3) Sanitary defects.—These arise from cases where no repair
work has been carried out since the pre-war period and, consequently,
premises have fallen below a reasonable standard of fitness.
The Sanitary Inspector serves a Notice on the owner. Here again,
in all cases where the expenditure exceeds £10 a licence must be
obtained.
(4) Housing defects.—These are cases where the conditions are
such that they cannot be remedied under the procedure of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1936 and are dealt with under the Housing
Act 1936 as being houses unfit for human habitation. Representations
are made to the Public Health Committee to consider as to
whether such houses can be repaired at a reasonable cost having
regard to the value of the premises or whether Closing and Demolition
Orders should be made.
Disinfestation Scheme — Anti-Fly and Anti-Mosquito
Measures.—During recent years nuisance from flies and mosquitoes
has increased throughout the Borough. The danger of flies as carrying
agents for many dangerous infectious diseases is well known.
They live and breed in filth, and often carry the germs of typhoid
direct from filth to the butter or milk on the breakfast table. Summer
diarrhoeas, which used to cause a large proportion of infant mortality,
were in very many cases fly-borne. At the present time, overcrowding,
difficulties in sanitation, and the presence throughout the Borough
of suitable harbourage, all tend to emphasise the expediency of a
wide-scale anti-fly effort.
Mosquitoes have, as is well-known, a great nuisance value :
they interfere with the rest of adults and children. It has been
proved on many occasions during the war that large areas of heavy
infestation can be completely cleared.
In order to combat this nuisance a Scheme was submitted to
and approved early in the year by the Committee.
In view of the fact that it was something in the nature of an
experiment and was of interest to other local authorities, I append
the following report on its working.