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42
CANAL BOATS ACTS, 1877 and 1884.
By virtue of the Local Government Board Regulations of 17th May, 1878, the Paddington
Borough Council is one of the Registration Authorities for the Regents and Grand Junction Canals,
now the Grand Union Canal. The Medical Officer of Health is the Examining Officer for the purposes
of the Regulations.
Mr. C. S. Wansbrough acted as Canal Boats Inspector until his retirement on the 1st July, 1934,
from which date the duties were performed by Mr. V. L. Ronchetti.
The following report for the year 1934 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.
Eighty-three (83) canal boats were inspected during the year, the following infringements
of the Acts and Regulations being discovered:—
Cabins leaky 11
Cabin floors defective 3
Stoves defective 3
Boats without certificates 7
Painting of cabins required 4
Numbering illegible 1
Bulkhead defective 1
Nine 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.
One case of measles was reported.
No deaths were recorded as occurring among canal boat dwellers.
Twenty-eight (28) children of school age were found to be living on the canal boats inspected.
The total number of boats on the Register at the end of the year was 249.
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.
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.
Until recent years it had not been considered in this Borough that house refuse came within the
scope of the term "foul or offensive'' cargo. Steps are now being taken, however, to ensure 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.
Three boats known to be conveying house refuse from Paddington Basin still remain to be dealt
with. These will be refitted as circumstances permit.
The annual cleansing at Paddington Basin was carried out during the Easter holidays. About
792 tons of mud were removed from the bed of the Basin, in addition to 535 tons which were dredged
previously, a total of 1,327 tons, being some 64 tons less than that removed in 1933.