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Drains tested or examined 532 (615)
Drains repaired 217 (220)
Drains cleared 289 (278)
Drainage conversions 73 (20)
Soil and waste pipes repaired or renewed 181 (546)
New sinks provided 192
New baths or lavatory basins provided 299 (297)
Water Supply :—
New supplies provided 46 (32)
Supplies reinstated 55 (108)
Cisterns cleansed 19 (44)
Cisterns renewed 14 (9)
Legal Proceedings :—
No. of cases referred for legal action 196 (522)
No. of summonses heard 135 (264)
Fines £121 5s. Od. (£358 18s. Od.)
Costs £89 17s. Od. (£427 7s. Od.)
Abatement/Prohibition Orders 27 (78)
Dismissed under Probation of Offenders Act 4 (45)
Adjourned sine die 8 (30)
No. of summonses withdrawn on payment of costs 59
Amount of costs received £93 9s. Od.
RENT AND MORTGAGE INTEREST (RESTRICTIONS) ACTS.—Applications for disrepair certificates numbered 21,
17 of which were granted. Four clearance certificates were also applied for and issued to owners.
DRAINAGE RECONSTRUCTION PLANS.—During the year 236 plans were submitted for drainage work to be executed
in existing buildings. In five cases work was found to have been done without the deposit of plans. In two of these
cases the plans were eventually received, but legal proceedings were instituted in the remaining three. These
proceedings resulted in a fine of £1 with one guinea costs in each of two cases, while the remaining case was dismissed
under the Probation of Offenders Act on payment of £5 5s. 0d. costs.
VACANT SITES.—Complaints continued to be received about the condition of bombed sites and static water tanks.
Improvements were effected in many cases, mainly by the removal of offensive refuse by the Council's Cleansing
Department. On the whole, the position cannot yet be regarded as satisfactory, but it is hoped that the Bye.laws
as to the Deposit of Rubbish which have been framed by the Council and await final approval of the Home Office,
in conjunction with the War Damaged Sites Act, will result in the problem of these areas being finally solved.
CANAL BOATS.—The Canal Boats Inspector visited the Paddington Basin on 105 occasions, and inspected 73 boats.
No serious defects or infringements were discovered, the minor matters requiring attention being disposed of without
recourse to the service of notices. Six girls and five boys of school age were found to be living on the boats coming
into the Basin. There were no cases of infectious disease among the canal boat population, but one death was
registered.
Several complaints of nuisance from mosquito bites were received, one of the complainants being St. Mary's
Hospital. It was thought that a direct attack on possible breeding grounds would possibly prevent a re.occurrence
of this trouble in the summer months. Acting along these lines the Inland Waterways Executive were approached
as to whether they would empty the canal, as was the custom prior to the last war. My request was readily granted and
for the first time since 1939, the Canal Basin was emptied of water as far as Bishop's Bridge Road for the purpose of
repair work and dredging. This took place during the Easter Holidays 29th April to 2nd May, when a considerable
amount of repair work was done to the brickwork, and 1,665 tons of mud were removed by dredger and manual labour.
The weight of mud removed in 1939 was 1,228 tons. I would like to record my appreciation of the co.operation afforded
by the Inland Waterways Executive.
PHARMACY AND POISONS ACT, 1933, etc.—At the end of the year the Register contained the names of 107 persons
entitled to sell the poisons scheduled in Part II of the Poisons List.
BAKEHOUSES.—The number of bakehouses on the Register at the end of the year was 34 ("level") and 18" basement"),
to which 253 visits were paid for the purposes of the Factories Act, 1937. In the early part of the
year the quinquennial inspection of basement bakehouses was made as required by Section 54 of the Act, the purpose
being to decide whether the Certificates of Suitability should be allowed to continue in operation. In no case was the
Certificate actually withdrawn, but certain proprietors were warned that improvements would have to be made before
the next inspection took place.
COMMON LODGING HOUSES.—45 visits were made by a Lady Sanitary Inspector to Cecil House, 179 Harrow Road.
Periodical visits were also paid by a Male Sanitary Inspector to examine the boilers and fire escape arrangements.