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Paragraph 8.—No comments.
Paragraph 9.—Whilst we should be willing to co-operate with
the London County Council in the steam disinfection of bedding
(subject to the incidence of infectious disease and cleansing of school
children permitting), this could only be done when the new Disinfecting
Station is in operation as at present the existing plant is
barely able to cope with the existing work.
With regard to the suggestion that Borough Councils "would
probably be able to allocate space near their disinfecting station
for the HCN disinfestation of the furniture in the vans" I would
point out that the Borough Council had very great difficulty in
finding a small space where their vans for HCN treatment of
furniture could be housed and there was no other site in the Borough.
Paragraph 10.—No comments.
I agree in general with the memorandum, but I definitely do
not agree with the use of Hydrogen Cyanide Gas (prussic acid) for
fumigation of houses, whether single houses, in rows, or block
dwellings. In my opinion the Borough Council could not possibly
undertake HCN fumigation of furniture in transit to London County
Council flats even if the London County Council paid for such a
service, as there is no site available in the Borough for the vans, etc.
2.—The Suggestions of the London County Council.
The main suggestion of the London County Council in drawing
the Borough Council's attention to section 7 of the enclosed
memorandum and to the duties under the Public Health (London)
Act, 1936, in respect of verminous premises and articles is to request
consideration of the proposal that Borough Councils should, as soon
as practicable, undertake the complete disinfestation of such premises
and articles including the provision of temporary alternative
accommodation. If by this the London County Council mean
the treatment by Hydrogen Cyanide gas, then I think we are in a
position to reply that we cannot undertake complete disinfestation
by Hydrogen Cyanide gas, but confine the use of HCN for fumigation
of furniture in transit from infested dwelling houses to our own
Council flats, treating the bedding with steam; that in all other
cases of infestation in the Borough we are at present carrying out
as far as practicable the complete disinfestation of those premises
by using either sulphur fumigation, a vermicide solution, the