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General Sanitary Conditions.
The basis, however, of good public health is satisfactory environmental hygiene, which
necessitates the abatement of sanitary nuisances, improvement in existing houses, the care of
food and supervision of factory life: work which is supervised by your sanitary inspectors.
We have been considerably short of staff to carry out this work adequately during 1945, and
a heavy strain has rested upon them. Generally, the food supplied and its preparation have
been reasonably satisfactory, but there is much room for improvement, whilst the same
remarks would apply to factory hygiene and premises in which out-workers ply their
occupation. Insofar as houses are concerned we have had to restrict ourselves almost entirely
to work under the Public Health (London) Act. This means that we have only attempted to
secure the abatement of definite sanitary nuisances, and in most cases these have come to our
notice as a result of complaints. On the other hand we have been able to secure that, where
alteration or new drainage work has been provided, it has complied with the appropriate bylaws
insofar as this has been possible. But here again shortage of labour and materials has
limited the scope of work that could be carried out. In normal times a health department
would not wait for complaint before taking action, but cause a routine survey to be made in
order to help occupiers to free themselves from conditions which are a danger or injurious to
health. Better still would it be if, instead of dealing with nuisances alone, we were able to
make routine inspections of all the working class property in the district, under the Housing
Act of 1936; for under this Act we can take action to remedy any defect in the premises which
renders the house in any respect unfit for human habitation. Sanitarians are generally agreed
that this is the best method of dealing with domiciliary environmental factors dangerous to
health. Once again, shortage of labour and material has made is impossible to take proceedings
under the Housing Act. Just as one hopes, however, that new housing will in due course
proceed apace, so one trusts that there will soon be a free supply of materials and adequate
labour for rendering property in all ways fit for human habitation. It is not sufficient to
build new houses or flats and to leave insanitary dwellings unimproved. The improvement
of existing housing must proceed pari passu with new housing, and the time is eagerly awaited
when no landlord can claim that limitation of labour or material renders it impossible for him
to carry out work on his property essential to the health of those who dwell thereon.
It will be realised that no attempt has been made during the year to secure the
demolition of houses unfit for human habitation. In one br two cases, however, action has
been taken to close insanitary basements. Here again it is essential that strenuous action shall
be taken to close the many basements in the district that are unfit for human habitation. At
present this can only be attempted where basements are unoccupied.