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On no occasion was admission to a boat refused, and no legal proceedings were
found to be necessary in respect of any of the infringements discovered. Thirteen
formal notices were served.
There were six cases of infectious disease notified:—Diphtheria 4 (3 females),
Acute Primary Pneumonia 2 (1 female).
There were 4 deaths:—Acute Primary Pneumonia 2 (1 female), Diphtheria 1,
Street Accident 1 (female).
Five boats were registered, three being new boats, and two owing to change of
ownership. No boats propelled by steam or motor power were registered during the
year.
107 children are known to be living on canal boats registered in Paddington, of
whom 58 are of school age.
The total number of boats in respect of which certificates of registration had been
issued at the end of the year 1927 was 248, 1 being a motor boat.
The annual cleansing and repairing operations at Paddington Basin were carried out
during the Easter holidays. About 822 tons of mud were removed from the bed of the Basin,
in addition to 490 tons which were dredged previously. Portions of the bed of the Basin
were repaired and about 611 square yards of concreting laid. 288 cubic feet of brickwork
were repaired on the wall of the waterway.
One of the requisites for an inhabited canal boat is that if ordinarily used for the conveyance
of any foul or offensive cargo, it shall contain between the space occupied by such cargo
and the interior of any cabin used as a dwelling, two bulkheads of substantial construction,
separated by a space not less in any part than four inches, open throughout to the external air.
Such space must be furnished with a pump for the removal of any liquid and the bulkhead
next to the cargo is to be watertight.
It has not hitherto been considered in this Borough that house refuse comes within the
scope of the term "foul or offensive" cargo. Steps are now being taken, however, that
double bulkheads shall be fitted to all inhabited canal boats conveying house refuse and the
owners of such boats are taking all necessary action to comply with this interpretation of the
regulations.
HOUSING.
Conversions.—Section 102 of the Housing Act, 1925, empowers a County Court to vary the
terms of a lease or other instrument so as to enable a house to be converted into tenements,
notwithstanding any restrictive covenant there may be to the contrary. No applications
under this Section were made during the year.
Plans were submitted to the Council under the drainage bye-laws, relative to the conversion
of 6 premises into 21 tenements. It is probable that a number of other conversions were
carried out in which no interference with existing drainage was involved. Such conversions
would not come within the purview of the department.
Compulsory Repairs.—No notices were served under section 3 of the Housing Act, 1925,
but 436 letters were sent to owners drawing attention to defects liable to be dealt with under
the section. These letters in most instances resulted in the defects being remedied.
Unhealthy Areas.—The following representation was made to the Council on June 14th,
1927:—
Housing Act, 1925.
To the Paddington Borough Council.
I, Geoffrey Eugene Oates, Medical Officer of Health for the Metropolitan Borough of
Paddington, do hereby report that in my opinion the closeness, narrowness and bad
arrangement of the buildings comprised in the area described in the schedule hereto, and