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Temporary Shelter.—The Local Government Board wrote (22nd
February, 1902) that "It is competent for the City Council to supply
necessary food to any inmate of a temporary shelter provided by them
under Section 60 (4) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891 (54 & 55
Vict. c. 76), while such person is residing in the shelter for the
purpose of enabling his dwelling to be disinfected by the Council."
Four families, consisting of 9 adults and 11 children, were lodged in
the temporary shelters of the City. Their stay extended over 8 days
for 3 families, 12 days for the remaining one. Total number of days
during which the 20 persons were lodged was 172; £5 6s. 3d. was
expended in supplying food.
Disinfection.—In connection with the outbreak a large amount
of work was thrown upon the disinfecting staff, and besides rooms
occupied by patients, many offices, public and private, and business
premises in which persons affected had been employed were disinfected.
In the majority of instances rooms were sprayed with formalin, and the
saving of time which this method effected made the process a more
economical one than the old way of shutting up a room for twenty-four
hours under gas, as it enabled people to return to their houses to sleep
and did not necessitate employing so many extra disinfectors. All articles
of clothing, carpets, bedding, &c., were disinfected at one of the four
stations. The disinfectors worked well and were frequently engaged
until 2 and 3 oper cent.clock in the morning disinfecting offices, lodging-house
kitchens, and other places which had to be occupied again during the
day. The extra cost for disinfecting occasioned by the epidemic was
£94 9s. for extra men and for overtime, and £1 7s. for articles
destroyed.
"Vaccination.—As small-pox appeared first in the Strand Union,
greater activity was necessary at first in that part of the City, but
the Westminster Guardians also, from the closeness of that Union
to St. Marylebone and St. Pancras on the north, and Holborn on
the east, early took steps in the matter of vaccination. The St. George s
Guardians were somewhat dilatory in supporting the efforts of the
Vaccination Officer, but eventually fell into line with their colleagues in
the other two Unions of the City. The Council issued notices to
employers of labour, hotels; clubs, &c., throughout the City, advising
them to get their staffs protected by re-vaccination, but the St. Georgeper cent.s
Guardians found that by the strict meaning of the law they could not
pay for the vaccination of persons not resident in the area of their
Union, and therefore they refused to do so; this proved a considerable
hardship to persons employed in the City all day, who desired to be
vaccinated, and, as the cost of vaccination is spread over all London,
steps were taken to bring the matter under the notice of the Local