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The Removal of Aged, Infirm and Diseased Persons.
Power to deal with this matter was included in the London County Council
(General Powers) Bill, 1928, which received the Royal assent on the 3rd August
of last year. This Act provides that if a Medical Officer of Health certifies in
writing that any person:—
(a) is aged or infirm or physically incapacitated and resides in premises
in the district which are insanitary owing to any neglect on the part of the
occupier thereof or under insanitary conditions; or
(b) is suffering from any grave chronic disease; the Medical Officer of
Health may under certain circumstances, and subject to the conditions specified
in the Act, apply to a petty sessional court for an order for the removal
of such person, to a suitable hospital, infirmary, poor law or other institution.
The power is not to be put into operation by a Medical Officer of Health
unless he is authorised by a resolution of the sanitary authority so to do,
either generally or in any particular case in which the powers are proposed to be
executed.
Rent and Mortgage Interest (Restriction) Acts, 1920 and 1923.
Three applications were received during the year for certificates under the
above Acts, that the houses concerned were not in all respects reasonably fit for
human habitation or otherwise not in a reasonable state of repair. In all three
cases the certificates applied for were granted.
In all cases the work needed to render the houses fit for habitation was
carried out, but in one instance the owner obtained vacant possession of the rooms
before the work was done:—
In one case where a certificate had been given in the previous year, the work
required to render the premises fit for habitation was completed and on the
application of the owner a certificate, certifying the satisfactory completion of
the work was issued.
Nuisances-Complaints from Relieving Officers.
Under Section III of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, it is the duty
of every Relieving Officer in accordance with the regulations of the Authority having
control over him, to give information to a Sanitary Authority of any nuisance
liable to be dealt with summarily under the Act.
This co-operation with the Officers of the Board of Guardians is found to be
most useful.
Nuisances Caused by Dogs.
With a view to the prevention of nuisances from the fouling of footways by
dogs the Council, in the year 1926, made the following by-law:—
"No person being in charge of a dog in any street or public place and
"having the dog on a lead shall allow or permit such dog to deposit its
"excrement upon the public footway."
The by-law after being in force for an experimental period until the 1st June,
1928, was made permanent.