View report page

24
Bats from Disused Drains.
In the year 1921 the Public Health Committee had under consideration the
question of nuisances arising from the presence of rats, where the access of the
vermin to the premises concerned was found to result from the presence of
unsealed disused drains. On the recommendation of the Committee the Council,
at its meeting on the 23rd November, 1921, decided to address a communication to
the Minister of Health, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and the London
County Council, urging that legislation be introduced to provide for placing on
owners or occupiers of property an obligation to notify the Local Sanitary Authority
on ceasing to use any drains or similar sanitary fitting and for making it an offenec
to cease to use any such drain or other similar sanitary fitting without efficiently
sealing off.
Copies of this resolution were also sent to the various Metropolitan, City and
Borough Councils.
A number of the Local Authorities in London agreed with and supported the
representations made by the Council and clauses to deal with the matter were
included in the London County Council (General Powers) Bill, 1923, but having
regard to certain points of difficulty these clauses were subsequently withdrawn
The matter was further considered by the London County Council and the various
Metropolitan Local Authorities, and clauses dealing with the subject were again
included in the London County Council (General Powers) Bill, 1928. The Bill was
referred to the Local Legislation Committee of the House of Commons and as your
Medical Officer of Health I was asked to give evidence before the Committee in
support of the representations originally made by the Holborn Borough Council.
Evidence was therefore prepared giving a number of specific cases where rat
infestation had occurred from disused unsealed drains. When the part
of the Bill dealing with the matter came before the Committee after
considerable legal argument and various suggestions for amending the
wording of the clause, the Chairman intimated that, the Committee
did not want to hear any evidence in support of the proposal because
the Committee were satisfied as to the necessity for the clause, a
statement which, if I may be permitted to add as an officer of the Holborn
Borough Council, caused me much personal satisfaction as a testimonal to the
sagacity of the decision of the Public Health Committee and the Council.
The clauses were amended by the Committee and remained part of the Bill
as approved by the House of Commons. At the time of the preparation of this
report the Bill is in course of progress through the House of Lords.
Inspection of Workshops, etc.
The routine inspection of factories, workshops and workplaces has been carried
out during the year. 562 factories were inspected, 751 workshops and 3,682
workplaces.