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170
accommodation meet their convenience,' so that' the use of shelters
will grow from year to year.' The final observation is' that the
expectation that the poor will avail themselves of these temporary
homes must depend very largely upon the shelter being made
reasonably attractive, as in the case of hospitals and mortuaries.'
I need hardly say that I concur in the views of the Council's
Medical Officer on this important question; and to emphasize the
necessity for a shelter in this parish, it will suffice to say that (as I
pointed out in the same, sixth, report) during the year 1894, when
infectious disease was by no means excessively prevalent in our
midst, some 64 cases occurred in families occupying single rooms;
that in every such case the room was disinfected, and was generally,
but not without exceptions, closed for a period of 24 hours, and,
therefore, during one whole night, necessarily to the great inconvenience
of numerous poor persons, many of whom, it is to be
supposed, would have been glad to make use of a shelter had such
accommodation been available."
It may be mentioned that, in 1896, 305 cases of infectious
disease occurred in families occupying three rooms; 384 in
families occupying two rooms, and 144 in families occupying
each a single room. Of the sufferers in families in occupation
of single rooms, 88 had scarlet fever, 43 had diphtheria, 8 had
enteric fever, and 5 had small-pox. It need hardly be said that
it is pre-eminently for the use of families in occupation of single
rooms that shelter accommodation is required. This subject
was referred to the Sanitary Committee for consideration, whose
report was to the effect—
"That it be referred to the Medical Officer of Health to report to the
Works and Sanitary Committees as to. any premises which the
Vestry might obtain for the purpose referred to."
I have not been able to find any suitable premises, and in my
humble opinion the only satisfactory plan would be to erect a
shelter and provide it with a proper equipment.
In the absence of provision for the purpose, the Sanitary
Inspectors have been authorised to pay for lodgings for people
dispossessed of their rooms during the process of disinfection.
These officers, however, find it difficult to obtain accommodation
for the people, many of whom, being respectable, object to go to