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30
behaviour for twelve months. The effect of this was that, if
during the ensuing twelve months either defendant was again
convicted of the same offence the sum of £20 would be levied
by way of additional penalty.
Both Defendants appealed to the London Quarter Session
against the last conviction and the added imposition. This
Appeal was dismissed but the binding over was struck out, as the
Recorder considered it inappropriate in a case of this nature.
It was only after the Council had decided to take
proceedings in the High Court through the Attorney-General by way
of Relator action to obtain a mandatory injunction, that the
Defendants finally succumbed.
Apart from the above-mentioned fines and costs, their
own legal costs must have been very considerable - probably more
than the cost of the convenience
NATIONAL ASSISTANCE ACT. 1948. SECTICN 47
Requests for help concerning the welfare of old and
infirm persons continue to be received from relatives, neighbours,
social workers, hospital almoners, medical practitioners, etc. and
in the past twelve months the new cases investigated rose from 62
to 163. This increase may be, in part, due to the fact that it
has become generally known that the Council has appointed a
specialist inspector to deal with the welfare of the aged, and in
part to the provision of a laundry service for incontinent persons,
most of whom, of course, are also aged. The laundry service has
proved of immense help and is greatly appreciated by the District
Nursing Associations and the relatives of the patients. The
demand has necessarily increased also for home helps and mealson-wheels,
but in spite of all these facilities admission to a
home or hospital has had to be sought in a large number of cases0
Idaison with the London County Council Welfare Department,
the Old People's Welfare Association, Hospital Almoners,
General Practitioners and other interested bodies is very good, but
the fact still remains that there is not yet a sufficient number
of hospital beds for chronic sick persons nor sufficient vacancies
in homes for the aged, and it is not always possible to arrange
Just the type of service required at the time it is required most.
It was necessary to consider making application to the
Magistrates for an order to enforce the removal of two patients.