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21
ADMINISTRATION
Housing
A full description of the Council's housing activities and the public health
department's share therein is to be found in "London Housing," published in
May, 1937.
Clearance
area
operations
The number of properties forming the subject of "representations" by the
medical officer of health under the Housing Acts, 1930 and 1936, which have been
submitted to the Housing and Public Health Committee is as follows:—
Areas
Houses
"Other buildings" included,
under the terms of section 40(2)
of the Housing Act, 1936,
or the equivalent section of
the previous Housing Act
During the year 1938
34
3,228
125
Total number under the Housing Acts since
1930
274
22,145
393
In addition, notifications under section 33 of the Housing Act, 1936, of their
intention to deal with certain houses as clearance areas were received during the
year from Metropolitan Borough Councils in respect of 81 areas, comprising 1,538
houses ; of these, 4 areas involving 196 houses were considered to be more suitable
for action by the Council. At the end of the year a further 7 areas, involving 141
houses, were still under consideration as to whether the Council should itself deal
with them. The Borough Councils concerned were therefore informed accordingly.
During the year, 3,661 houses were represented by the Council's medical officers
(including 433 re-represented), 1,568 were included in notifications from the Borough
Councils, and of these it was decided to include 196 houses (some of which are
included above) in the Council's own programme.
Public inquiries were held by the Ministry of Health in respect of clearance
orders and compulsory purchase orders made by the Council relating to 3,521
houses in 37 areas represented as suitable for action under section 25 of the
Housing Act, 1936.
Overcrowding
In March the Minister of Health fixed appointed days in respect of overcrowding
in the seven metropolitan boroughs referred to in the annual report of
1937 as those in which the fixing of the appointed day was still under consideration.
Preferential
housing
During the year nearly 1,000 applications were received tor preferential
consideration for rehousing on the Council's estates on the grounds of ill-health of
a member of the family. If the applicants were living under conditions considered
to be dangerous or injurious to the health of the occupants, recommendations were
forwarded to the valuer with a request that priority should be granted. Over 400
families, who were placed on the preferential waiting list as a result of these
recommendations, were rehoused during the year.
The above figures do not include applications on the grounds of tuberculosis, to
which reference is made elsewhere in this report (p. 28).
New
legislation—
Agriculture
Act, 1937
Milk and Dairies (Consolidation) Act, 1915, and Tuberculosis Order, 1925
On 1st April, 1938, Part IV of the Agriculture Act, 1937, which relates to the
veterinary inspection of cattle, came into force, and the Council's duties under the
Tuberculosis Order, 1925, and Part IV of the Milk and Dairies Order, 1926, were
transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries; the Council are consequently
no longer responsible since that date for the examination of animals in licensed sheds.
Examination
of milk
This new legislation did not, however, affect the Council's duties concerning the
sampling of milk arriving in London by road or rail from the provinces for ascertaining
the presence of tubercle bacilli; and this practice, as described in previous
annual reports, has been continued in 1938.
The result of such sampling during 1938, compared with that of 1937, is as
follows (the figures for 1937 being given in brackets): completed examinations, 2,112
(1,929); number tuberculous, 158 (135); percentage, 7.5 (7.0).