View report page

161
out the duties of the chief officials was clearly impressed with the
necessity of making the chief official entirely responsible to the
Council for the well.being of his department. The appointment of a
Chief Sanitary Inspector directing on his own authority the sanitary
work, with attendance on the Committee, made a dual control, and of
course a dual responsibility, which I do not think is contemplated in
the duties either of the Medical Officer of Health or of the Sanitary
Inspectors, as defined by the Sanitary Officers (London) Order of
1891, and in no other department, except that of Public Health, has
this dual control been made.
The impossibility of this dual control was seen by Mr. Long, the
late Chief Sanitary Inspector, who continued from the creation of the
Borough until his retirement, to act with me as an assistant rather
than as a Chief Sanitary Inspector. The appointment of another
Chief Sanitary Inspector, imbued with the desire to render his office
independent of the Medical Officer of Health, would seriously curtail
the efficiency of the department, and might make matters unworkable.
I know of no borough in London which has made such an appointment
within the last few years. It is desirable, however, that there
should be assistance given to the Medical Officer of Health in the
supervision of the other inspectors, and in the systematic inspection
of the district, which is a part of the Medical Officer of Health's duty.
This assistance to the Medical Officer of Health might be given by
the appointment of an officer to take the place of the late Chief Sanitary
Inspector, and this I should prefer owing to the inadvisability at
the present time of any curtailment of the inspector staff.
Knowing, however, the desire for economy on the part of the
Council this assistance might possibly be given by a Sanitary
Inspector appointed to a Ward in which the duties were the lightest;
although I am not certain that any one Sanitary Inspector could
perform the Ward Inspector's duties together with those of assistant
to the Medical Officer of Health. Such a scheme, however, in my
opinion is worthy of a trial for a period of six months, when it would
be seen if this new arrangement were working satisfactorily.
My opinion is, therefore:—
(1) That the name and office of Chief Sanitary Inspector
should be formally abolished.