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London County Council.
SANITARY CONDITION OF KENSINGTON.
Report by the Medical Officer of Health, presenting a Report by Dr. Hamer on the
Sanitary Condition and Administration of Kensington.
(Ordered, by the Public Health Committee to be printed, 5th October, 1899.)
Public Health Department,
8, St. Martin's-place, W.C.,
10th November, 1899.
In presenting Dr. Hamer's report on the sanitary condition and administration of Kensington
it is desirable to refer to the circumstances which led to his enquiry. The Public Health Committee
of the Council had as early as May, 1896, reasons for raising question as to the sufficiency
of the sanitary statf of the Vestry of Kensington, and a letter was therefore addressed to the Yestry
asking that the medical officer of health of Kensington should be instructed to report on this
subject, and that a copy of his report should be communicated to the Council. In their reply the
vestry supplied information as to the number of officers employed by them in connection with
their sanitary duties, and stated inter alia that a special committee had been recently appointed to
consider whether it was possible to bring about an improvement of the conditions in a particular
district of Kensington, known as the dotting Dale district, which had been referred to in the
Council's letter. A copy of the report of this committee was forwarded to the Council in July,
and from this report it appeared to the Public Health Committee that the Yestry proposed to utilize
for the purposes of the Notting Dale district the services of inspectors employed in other parts of
Kensington. The Public Health Committee, wishing further information as to the desirableness
of this course, asked that facilities might be afforded to Dr. Hamer to enquire and report to them
as to the sufficiency of the Vestry's staff of sanitary inspectors. The reply from the Vestry was to the
effect that the Public Health Committee had not correctly interpreted their intentions, and that the
matter was still under their consideration, and the Vestry suggested that the enquiry should be
postponed until a decision had been arrived at. In November a communication was received from
the Vestry enclosing a copy of a letter which they had addressed to the Local Government Board,
from which it appeared that it was proposed to increase the inspection of the Notting Dale district
at the expense of other parts of Kensington. In December the Public Health Committee again
sought to obtain from the Yestry a report from the medical officer of health of Kensington upon the
subject.
In January, 1897, the Vestry informed the Public Health Committee that the Local Government
Board had assented to the proposed arrangement for a period of twelve months, but desired
that at the end of that period the Board should be furnished with a report as to how the arrangement
worked. The Vestry signified their willingness to communicate to the Public Health
Committee a copy of such report when made.
The following month the Council expressed to the Local Government Board the hope that
before coming to any conclusions at the expiration of the twelve months in question the Board would
cause the district of Kensington to be inspected by one of their medical inspectors in order that
its sanitary circumstances might be fully before the Board. The Local Government Board replied
that they would not fail to consider the representations of the London County Council in the matter.
The same year the Housing of the Working Classes Committee of the Council had under
consideration a request from the Vestry urging the Council to acquire, under Part III. of the
Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, the worst classes of houses let in lodgings, or occupied
by more than one family, which are comprised in the Notting Dale district with a view to
the Council putting such houses under the conditions and regulations contemplated by that part
of the Act. The Vestry was informed that the application of Part III. of the Act was not, in the
opinion of the Committee, the proper remedy, and it was suggested that the Vestry should exercise
their powers for the inspection and regulation of houses let in lodgings under section 94 of thePublic
Health (London) Act, 1891.
In February, 1898, the Local Government Board wrote requesting that the report,
for which they had asked, should be sent to them, and the Vestry, without
consulting their medical officer, replied that the arrangement which had been made
had proved satisfactory. In May, 1898, the Board was asked by the Vestry to sanction
the appointment of Mr. Pettit, one of the inspectors, as chief sanitary inspector, and the Board, in
reply, stated that they had "decided to hold an enquiry into the details of sanitary administration
of the parish, but as, owing to the engagements of their staff, they could not hope the enquiry
would be held for some little time, they would not withhold their assent to the assignment of the
additional duties to Mr. Pettit as an experiment," In May, 1899, the Public Health Committee
had under consideration a monthly report of the medical officer of health of Kensington in which
account was given of overcrowding found to exist in the Notting Dale district, and they then
decided that Dr. Hamer's enquiry as to that district should be no longer deferred; later it was
decided to extend this enquiry to the remainder of the parish of Kensington.
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