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34
I am indebted to Mr. K. L. Embley, Superintendent Engineer,
for the following statistics:—

(a) includes 34,648 School-children
Houses Let in Lodgings.—The L.C.C. Bye-laws made under
Section 6 of the Housing Act, 1936, define a house let in lodgings
as one which is occupied, or is of a type suitable for occupation, by
persons of the working classes and let in lodgings or occupied by
members of more than one family. These dwellings are subject
to registration and must comply with certain requirements as to
sanitation, cleanliness, etc.
The number of houses on the Register at the end of the year was
3; these have been visited by the Woman Inspector on 59 occasions.
Pig Bin Nuisance.—The nuisance of foul smells and flies
arising from pig bins has largely been overcome during the year.
The Borough Engineer's introduction of hard standings and permanent
fixtures for the bins, coupled with the vigilance of our disinfestation
squad appear to have eliminated the main cause of complaint,
i.e: the overturning of the bins with the resultant distribution
of the contents over the footway.
Rodent Control.—The Council's Rodent Scheme as approved
by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, has continued and during
the year 2,107 investigations were made and infestation found to
exist in 574 dwelling houses, 15 shops, 20 factories and 8 bombed
sites : 398 premises were covered under block treatment schemes.
In addition to baiting and poisoning methods every effort was
made to discover the source of infestation and it was frequently
found necessary to take up floorings, yard pavings and excavate
further to trace rat runs. These steps were also taken when infestation
persisted after a series of treatments. In 93 instances infestation
was found to be due to defective drainage and much work and
persistent effort was necessary to accomplish results.
Bombed sites and dumps providing suitable harbourage have
been test-baited and where necessary treatments have been carried
out. The number of infestations at these sites has diminished