View report page

6
sanitary inspectors. The system apparently acts well, as during the inspection in only exceptional
instances were accumulations of house refuse noticed.
The scavenging of the roads is also done by contract.
Sanitary administration.—The sanitary staff appointed by the Vestry of Bethnal.green consists
of—
A medical officer of health, who is also engaged in the practice of his profession.
4 sanitary inspectors.
1 clerk,
In addition there are two assistants employed in the disinfection of rooms and of articles of
bedding and clothing, and seven " pail.men."
The sanitary inspectors act under the supervision and control of the medical officer of health, who
attends every week.day morning at the vestry offices in order to receive their reports and to give them
instructions. To three of the inspectors a portion of the parish has been assigned, they perform all
sanitary duties arising in it, and also carry out the duties arising in connection with the administration
of the Food and Drugs Act.
The fourth inspector, who was appointed as recently as December, 1898, is concerned with the
inspection of workshops, bakehouses, slaughterhouses and cowsheds.
Each sanitary inspector prepares his own notices. The clerk attached to the department keeps
the complaint book in which is registered the action taken regarding each house which has come under
the notice of the sanitary authority, the registers of infectious disease, which contain particulars as to
each case occurring in the parish, and a workshops register which contains the results of inspections of
workshops and the action taken.
The vestry have delegated to a sanitary committee their powers for the sanitary administration
of the parish, with the exception of those under the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890. In the
administration of this Act, when premises are certified by the medical officer of health to be in such a
condition as to render them dangerous or injurious to health, the vestry make an order that they shall
be rendered fit for human habitation, and at the same time refer the matter to the sanitary committee
to visit the premises and report what (if any) further proceedings should be taken. If the committee
be of opinion that it is necessary to do so, application is made to a magistrate for a closing order. Much
good work has been done by the sanitary authority and its medical officer of health under this Act,
although, as has already been pointed out, the attempt of owners to repair houses has led in many instances
only to temporary improvement. For such houses demolition and reconstruction of the buildings is
needed. Demolition and rearrangement is, moreover, the only effectual remedy in the case of houses
situated in any of the narrow streets and courts which will remain after the complete demolition of
houses in the Boundary.street area, now in progress. Hitherto, however, the vestry have in only one
instance made an order under the Housing of the Working Classes Act for the demolition of a house.
The vestry have made by.laws under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, with regard to
(1) particular nuisances (2) the cleansing of cisterns, and (3) the provision of a proper water supply to
water.closets, which have been confirmed by the Local Government Board. These by.laws are similar
to those made by other London authorities. By.laws with regard to houses let in lodgings or occupied
by members of more than one family have recently been forwarded for confirmation to the Local Government
Board. In these by-laws the amount of cubic space required in living and sleeping rooms is the
same as in the model by-laws. There is no clause for the exemption of houses in cases where the rent
exceeds a fixed limit; the vestry, therefore, is able to exercise complete discretion with regard to the
application of the by-laws to any house let in lodgings.
A systematic house-to-house inspection, except in some of the poorest parts of the parish, has
not been undertaken, indeed the time of the existing staff is entirely taken up with inspection upon
complaint, and the re.inspection involved in supervising the execution of the consequent work. The
inspectors require that newly laid drains shall be ventilated, the water test is applied before they are
passed, and a careful and thorough supervision appears to be practised by the vestry's officers during
the progress of the works.
The results of this enquiry into the sanitary condition of Bethnal.green may be briefly
summarised as follows—
(1) The death rates in the parish, from all causes, from the seven chief zymotic diseases
and the infant mortality, based upon the figures contained in the yearly reports of the local
medical officer of health, are in excess of the corresponding rates relating to London generally.
(2) There is evidence of much work having been done and considerable improvement
having been effected in the parish, but in a large proportion of houses visited defective
conditions have been found to exist.
(3) Systematic house to house inspection throughout the district has not been undertaken,
indeed the sanitary staff is not sufficiently large for this purpose.
(4) No houses have been registered under the by.laws relating to premises occupied by
members of more than one family, indeed by.laws for this purpose have only recently been
made by the vestry and submitted for confirmation by the Local Government Board.
(5) Although the inspection of workshops has been commenced it would appear that but
a small proportion have yet been visited.
(6) No shelter for the accommodation of persons during the disinfection of their rooms
has been provided.
In concluding this report I would refer to the fact that in the year 1888 a report as to the
sanitary requirements of the parish of Bethnal.green by Messrs. Cubitt Nicholls and Shirley Murphy
was presented to Parliament. There is little doubt that since the date of that report improvement has
been effected in the condition of the parish, owing to the adoption of some of the recommendations which