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departments would lead to some monetary saving, and the advantage which would result from
the utilisation of available knowledge now not put to use is a still more important consideration.
In the event of no comprehensive re-arrangement of duties with regard to drainage being
put into execution, it should at any rate be arranged that when drains are opened up for the
insertion of a trap, the sanitary inspector should visit to investigate the condition of the drain
and see if more work is necessary, and also that when work is finished, he should ascertain if the
nuisance he had reported had been abated and the works executed.
I have made in the preceding paragraphs, certain suggestions with a view to indicating to
what extent, in my opinion, the staff of inspectors in Kensington requires strengthening, and I
may summarise them as follows: —
In all cases it is understood that the chief inspector's and the lady inspector's services are retained,
and that an additional lady inspector is appointed, thus making two inspectors employed for
the inspection of workplaces in which women are employed. Under the first arrangement proposed,
in addition to the three officers just referred to, there would be nine district
sanitary inspectors. If it were desired to bring special knowledge to bear upon
food inspection and the inspection of workshops where men only are employed, two special
officers might, with undoubted advantage, so far as the particular work in question was concerned,
be appointed, but in such an event the number of district inspectors should not be reduced by more
than one, i.e., eight districts should be constituted. If, as an alternative to the arrangement or
arrangements above referred to, the supervision of drainage work were added to the duties of the
district sanitary inspectors, in place of nine sanitary districts a division into a greater number of
sanitary districts would be found necessary—the size and hence the number of the districts being
determined by the extent of re-arrangement of duties decided upon; if the entire work of supervising
drainage construction were made to devolve upon the sanitary inspectors it would be necessary
to divide Kensington up into twelve instead of nine sanitary districts.
Under the first arrangement referred to above, the addition required to the existing staff
would be three men and a woman, which I regard as the minimum increase which should be
made. Under the alternative arrangement an increase (according to the re-distribution of duties
made) of not more than three additional inspectors, i.e., a total maximum increase of six men and
one woman would be necessary. Under this arrangement, however, against the increase in the
staff of the health department would have to be set off the diminution in the amount of drainage
work devolving upon the surveyor's department. I have not referred to the question of increased
assistance in connection with the disinfecting station and the "shelter," which, as I have already
intimated, should at once be erected in Kensington, inasmuch as such assistance does not involve
any question as to the number of sanitary inspectors.
W. H. Hamer,
Assistant Medical Officer of Health.