View report page

35
This bye-law is enforced by the Medical Officer of Health and his staff. Active assistance
is given by the police, the Home Secretary having intimated in June, 1928, as a result of
representations from the Council, that the police had been instructed to report to the Council
such offences against the bye-law as come to their notice in the course of their ordinary duties.
During 1929 three prosecutions were instituted, resulting in two defendants being fined
the sum of ten shillings each, and the other six shillings. Numerous verbal warnings to
offenders were also given. The publicity which has been given to the bye-law has had good
effect in causing many dog-owners to be more careful. One minor difficulty in enforcing
the bye-law is that an offender cannot be compelled to divulge his identity, and cannot be
given in charge as the police do not enforce the bye-law.
Notices concerning the bye-law were frequently posted on shingle-bins throughout the
Borough.
CANAL BOATS ACTS, 1877 and 1884.
By virtue of the Local Government Board Regulations of May 17th, 1878, the Paddington
Borough Council is one of the Registration Authorities for the Regent's and Grand Junction
Canals, now the Grand Union Canal. The Medical Officer of Health is the Examining
Officer for the purpose of the Regulations.
Mr. C. S. Wansbrough acted as Canal Boats' Inspector during the year.
The following report for the year 1929 was made to the Council by the Medical Officer of
Health, and was adopted by the Council as their statutory report to the Minister of Health
as required by the Canal Boats Act, 1884.
Report for 1929.—One hundred and fifteen inspections of canal boats were made
during the year, and the following infringements of the Acts and Regulations were
discovered :—
Cabins leaky 9
Cabin floors defective 6
Stoves and stove pipes defective 7
Boats without certificates 6
Lettering, marking and numbering illegible 4
Painting of cabins required 13
Six formal notices were served.
On no occasion was admission to a boat refused, and no legal proceedings were necessary
in respect of any of the infringements discovered.
There were five cases of infectious disease notified:—infective enteritis 1, diphtheria 1,
whooping-cough 1, and acute primary pneumonia 2.
There were six deaths reported amongst canal boat dwellers, one being that of a male
aged 52, who died from drowning.
No boats were registered, but the registration of one boat was cancelled in consequence
of the re-registration of the boat by another authority.
One hundred and eighteen children of school age were found to be living on the canal
boats using the Paddington Basin (61 males, 57 females).
The total number of boats in respect of which certificates of registration had been issued
at the end of the year was 248 one being a motor-boat.
It is practically certain that a number of boats, registered many years ago, have
changed ownership, been registered with another authority or been broken up. It is
under the circumstances impossible to trace a number of registered boats or to know
the exact number of "live" certificates of registration.
The annual cleansing and repairing operations at Paddington Basin were carried out
during the Easter holidays. About 829 tons of mud were removed from the bed of the Basin,
in addition to 838-| tons which were dredged previously. Portions of the bed of the Basin
were repaired.
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