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99
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
were made of stables and places where horse manure was kept so
as to secure its frequent removal, but the prevalence of flies will
not be much lessened in hot weather until the public are better
educated in the methods that should be used for the storage of
house refuse. Uncovered dust bins and the strewing of house
refuse on back yards are still common, and in hot weather this
refuse is more suitable for the development of flies owing to the
fact that fires are not so much used, the amount of ashes produced
being lessened and the amount of decomposable organic matter
increased.
The more frequent removal of house refuse by the Sanitary
Authority in the months of July, August and September, is most
desirable, and is a subject that might with advantage to the public
health be considered by the Council.
The whole tendency of modern sanitation has been in the past
to insist on the removal of effete products more quickly. Human
excreta and slop water are removed at once by the water carriage
system. The time will I trust soon come when the public will
insist on the removal of other waste products, such as stable manure,
excreta of other animals, as well as house refuse and decomposing
stable and trade refuse, by a method as rapid and as satisfactory.
Another point noted in the inspection of houses in the localities
where Diarrhoea was most prevalent was the necessity of having
back yards paved with impervious material. In the large majority
of cases these yards are not utilised as gardens, but as dumping
places for all sorts of refuse, and as suitable spots for the erection
of small wooden sheds for keeping domestic animals. Great
difficulty is experienced in dealing with the question of keeping
domestic animals and I have personally made a considerable
number of inspections for the purpose of ascertaining whether
these are kept so as to be a nuisance. As will be seen in a later
part of this Report a very large amount of work has been done in
having yards properly paved, and in doirg away with nuisances
arising from the accumulations of decomposing refuse and the
keeping of domestic animals, but here also the education of the
public is essential.