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XI
Sanitary Work and New Buildings.
The number of plans submitted, 960, is less than last year, perhaps due to a slight
check in business enterprise. Plans of proposed building schemes or alteration in
user of buildings numbering 269 have come to the notice of the department through
the Plans Sub-Committee of the Improvements Committee.
Food and Drugs.
Attention is particularly drawn to the bacteriological examination of milk supplied
to schools under the scheme of the Milk Marketing Board. The milk as authorised
by the board is pasteurised and was found to be uniformly satisfactory. Milk and
ice cream sold in milk bars were also examined. In those cases where a high bacterial
count and the presence of B. Coli in .001 c.c. showed evidence of contamination,
successful measures were taken to eliminate the sources of contamination.
Housing.
The City Council's programme of clearance, demolition and closure of unfit parts
of buildings continues to progress satisfactorily. Since 1932, 309 dwellings have been
demolished and cleared ; 823 parts of buildings, including basements, have been dealt
with by closing order, undertaking or change of user. Some 283 basements have
been reconditioned and re-occupied, while 364 remain closed and vacant. A most
encouraging feature in dealing with basements is the increasing amount of voluntary
reconditioning by owners. Work in 201 instances has been initiated by owners
themselves before any formal action has been taken. The basement problem in
Westminster is for the time being perhaps the most important issue in housing and
has received most attention in recent years. Overcrowding was and is of less
magnitude. In 1934, the year of the Overcrowding Survey, 1,083 cases were found ;
the number has now fallen to 622. Details are set out in the form of annual return
required by the Minister.
The provision of additional amenities such as water supplies, washing accommodation.
food cupboards, etc., in tenement houses, some of which are statutory requirements,
is proceeding, particularly in the decontrolled houses to which appropriate
by-laws now apply.
Air Said Precautions.
These very necessary measures have in certain respects fallen to the Public Health
Department to carry out, and to some extent have disturbed the ordinary work.
In consequence overtime has not been an uncommon feature during 1937. Two
of the Council's sanitary inspectors were nominated for the Falfield course in Air Raid
Precautions and received first-class instructors' certificates. The Deputy Medical
Officer of Health also qualified in the Medical Officers' course at Falfield. The two
inspectors who had been instructing the Council's staff after office hours were in
December seconded for Air Raid Precautions duties. In the same month the Council
resolved to appoint a whole-time Assistant Medical Officer of Health on a temporary
basis to assist in those duties. The duties within the reference of the Medical Officer
of Health include instruction of the staff in anti-gas measures, decontamination of
persons, dwellings, and foodstuffs, first aid training of personnel, and organisation and
equipment of first-aid posts. All volunteer A.R.P. Wardens are trained under
Mr. Ratcliff, the Chief Instructor, and the deputy Chief Instructor, Mr. Bennett, the
two sanitary inspectors seconded for this work. Dr. Ian Thomson, the Deputy