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42
The drainage section also bad a full year's work, the number
of applications being received far exceeding that of any previous
year, mainly due to the tremendous drive going on throughout the
borough for house improvement,
The Food Division, unfortunately, was hampered by lack of
staff and the fact that, during the year, the divisional inspector
obtained an appointment with another Authority, Consequently,
until he was replaced by Mr,N,V,Saunders from Harrow, the
division was running with two inspectors against the establishment
of five, Very little routine revisiting was therefore carried
out during the year, the inspectors being fully occupied in dealing
with complaints and sampling duties,
The Housing Division increased its success of the previous
year and exceeded all expectations in the number of inspections
made, They were also hampered by the lack of qualified technical
staff and by the fact that technical assistants joining during the
year had to be trained, In spite of this, the division virtually
completed all the surveys in the slum clearance programme and
made further inroads into properties in multiple occupation,
Statistically, the year was very little different from any other,
and although the enthusiasm of the younger inspectors still
pervades, the shortage of staff and the concomitant increase of
work inevitably puts more strain on those available, Tribute
must be paid this year not only to the technical staff for their
output despite staff shortages but also to the administrative
staff for their support during this difficult period,
Environmental pollution has, over the last few years, been
afforded increased publicity nationally, The public, quite rightly,
are becoming aware that chemical pollution of soil, water and air,
by both industry and the essential services, together with noise
from aircraft, are conditions which were accepted by our forbears
as part of life but which now should no longer be tolerated, These
expressions of concern by the public were borne home to the
inspectors many times during the year when they gave lectures
and informal talks to various local groups such as scouts,
guides, schoolchildren and the staffs of hospitals and multiple
stores,
It is becoming obvious that the Environmental Health Section
will have to widen its field of operation in the future with the
individual divisions being broken down into specialist sections,
The role which the public health inspector has played for the
last 100 years of being a "Jack of all trades" is fast disappearing
and taking on that of a specialist in one particular field,