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27
SECTION C
Sanitary circumstances of the Area
The tables on pages 40 and 42 summarise, as far as possible,
the sanitary work of the Department; from these it will be seen
that a total of 20,786 houses and premises have been inspected or
re-inspected during the year; 1,632 intimation notices and 350
statutory notices were served.
Once more the number of registered complaints, viz., 2,205, was
greatly in excess of the pre-war average of 700, again serving to
emphasise the difficulties which face the Sanitary Inspector in his
task of maintaining a proper standard of housing in his district.
Routine complaints mainly arise from the continued deterioration
of old property despite the application of the nuisance sections
of the Public Health Act.
The rate of provision of new dwellings is not such as to allow
of Housing Act procedure to any appreciable extent in the case of
sub-standard accommodation. A good deal of effort is, therefore,
spent on obtaining repairs to worn out property which, in other
circumstances, would be scheduled for demolition.
Factories Act, 1937. Under this Act the principal functions
are administered by the Ministry of Labour and National Service
through H.M. Factory Inspectors. The Sanitary Authority is
charged with the duty of enforcing the legislation as to sanitary
accommodation in all factories in its area, and in those factories
where mechanical power is not used the following :—
Cleanliness.
Ventilation.
Overcrowding.
Drainage of floors.
All factories must have an adequate supply of drinking water
from a public main or some other source approved in writing by the
Council.
During the year, 432 inspections were made by the Council's
Inspectors in relation to the 359 registered factories. The latter
figure includes 68 premises where mechanical power is not used.
Defects were found in 37 instances, all of which were remedied.
Outworkers.—Premises where homework is carried on were
visited on 85 occasions by the Woman Inspector. In no instance
was it necessary to take action because of infectious disease.