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140
on the borders of Stoke Newington and within easy access of the
Cleansing Station, decided that in addition to providing for the
cleansing of verminous school children attending the elementary
schools within the Borough, it was prepared to undertake the
cleansing of children attending the Newington Green School, the
Hindle Street, High Street (Hackney), and St. Jude's Schools
(Islington), subject to the undertaking that in no one week are
more than 20 children to be dealt with.
In connection with this work a very handicapping circumstance
is the fact that many children are repeatedly found to be
in a verminous condition. This is explained by the persistently
verminous state of members of the household who are above or
below the school age; and it seems that further powers are desirable
in order to cope with such individuals. The difficulties in
dealing with such people would be very great indeed. Many of
them are engaged in work of some sort from early morning till
late at night, and it would be necessary to take many cases before
the Courts, when there would often be a great difficulty in
satisfying the Magistrate that the particular person charged was
in a verminous condition. While, however, we continue to get
the same children back to our cleansing station, and despite what
we do for such children and to their homes the vermin are
"carried over" in the bodies of other members of the family not
of the school age, the circumstance demands serious consideration
as to what remedies are available. From the educational
standpoint the work upon verminous children is of such importance
that considerable efforts to' free them are warranted.
A Shelter has been maintained during the year. The Borough
Council is under a statutory obligation to maintain this provision.
The Shelter was never quite suitable for the purpose, and as
it became increasingly difficult to adequately deal with the dilapidations
of the old premises so used, the Council decided during
the year to make other arrangements.