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smaller than for many years past. Here again the increase in popularity
of vaccination against whooping cough, which in the absence of poliomyelitis
risk is usually done in combination with immunisation against
diphtheria, may be having the desired effect.
Tuberculosis
The number of new notifications showed a slight, but only slight,
decrease on the previous year, and there has not in fact been much
alteration in the annual number of new cases found for the past five years,
these being 256, 271, 212, 247 and 236 respectively. It is pleasing to
report, however, that the death rate from pulmonary tuberculosis,
which on the other hand has been falling steeply for a number of years,
was in 1958, at 8 per 100,000 pcpulation, little more than half the
previous year and was the lowest on record.
Clean air
The Council's proposal to make its first smoke control area in the
Ladywell part of the borough was formally objected to by one householder.
As a result the Minister held a Public Inquiry in August but
nevertheless confirmed the Order, the only modification being that
the date it became operative was postponed from May 30, 1959 to
September 1, 1959. The Order covers some 1,400 premises and 320
acres of which 200 are open space. During the year detailed inspections
were made of the second area in the borough to be proposed as a smoke
control area and this was in the Southend neighbourhood. The Order
was made by the Council on January 1, 1959 and has subsequently
been confirmed by the Minister who has decided that it shall become
operative on November 1, 1959 ; there were no formal objections. The
Southend Smoke Control Order covers some 2,800 dwellings and 620
acres of which 360 are open space. It is hoped that it will be possible
to make the whole borough a smoke control area before the end of the
1960s.
Old people
Three additional clubs applied for and received grant aid and
altogether 15 clubs or organisations were in receipt of grant from the
Council. Details are shown in the body of the report. The grant is reviewed
each year and perhaps the chief factor in an upward revision
is an indication (by the atmosphere of the club and particularly by the
expansion of numbers and of existing facilities and by the institution
of new facilities) that the club is increasing its activities or comfort
for its members. It was disappointing therefore to find that at the
review in the spring of 1958 the numbers of old people on the registers
of the grant aided clubs had shown a substantial reduction from the
previous year and the number of members in average attendance had
also shown a reduction. One factor for this could have been the bad
winter and the influenza outbreak which had then occurred, with the
consequent death of an abnormal number of club members. However,