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receives somewhat full comment. At the time of writing a detailed housing
survey of the City is in progress, which, it is hoped, will be completed by
June, 1935. An augmented staff of five additional temporary sanitary
inspectors and five temporary clerks are engaged on the work, and up to
date over 1,000 working class houses have been inspected in great detail,
and recorded. By this means accurate data as to sanitary conditions,
overcrowding and illegal occupation will be available relating to working
class dwellings throughout the entire City. Many of these houses are
ordinarily the subject of inspection on account of infectious disease
notifications, nuisances and other conditions as they arise. But with the
normal staff it is not possible to make routine house to house inspection on
a scale adequate to provide information on which to assess the housing
needs of the City as a whole.
The question of the occupation of underground rooms is dealt with at
some length, and the council's policy in regard to them is discussed. From
an examination of the facts and figures submitted in this report, it will
be deduced that housing conditions in the City are undergoing uninterrupted
improvement. With the proposed new estate adjoining Ebury
Bridge estate, the Council in the near future will have 1,676 dwellings
under its own management. Two rather striking aerial photographs of
the two most recently built housing estates are included in the housing
section.
Plans of Sanitary Work in New and Old Buildings.
The number 926 submitted is the highest since the Department undertook
the supervision of drainage work in 1912. This is surely an indication
of a revival in trade, and implies increasing employment in the building
and associated trades. In the boom year, 1920, plans amounted to 602.
Maternity and Child Welfare.
Infant mortality is two points higher, mainly because of the reduced
number of births on which the calculation is made. The actual number of
infant deaths is lower. In 1903 there were 3,185 births and 370 infant
deaths; a rate of 116 per 1,000 births. In 1933 there were only 1,099
births, and 75 infant deaths, giving a rate of 68 per 1,000 births. Prematurity
remains the predominant cause of death in infants under 1 year.
This and the high proportion of stillbirths are cirumstances which cannot
be viewed with satisfaction. So far there is no available evidence suggestive
of belated and ill-considered attempts at birth control.
Maternal mortality.—There were five cases, as last year, including
one from Puerperal Fever; tliree were married women. Attention is