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78
Health of the District.
The cool breezy summer month of July, 1907. will be
long remembered as one of exceptional health. The deaths
from diarrhoea during the month have averaged during the
previous ten years 20, but this July they are only 2, a tenth
of the average number. The mortality from the infectious
diseases generally is about a third of the usual amount, and
the same statement may be made with regard to chest
complaints. On the other hand a reference to the curve
opposite page 79, will show that scarlet fever during the
second week of July rose considerably above the usual level,
Diphtheria also showed a slight tendency to increase.
By-laws as to Houses let in Lodgings.
These by-laws have at length been confirmed by the
Local Government Board, they are practically the same as
a previous set of by-laws in force some years ago. The
by-laws give power to the Local Authority to register
tenement houses, both owner and occupier of such registered
houses have a number of duties with regard to over-crowding,
cleansing, sanitation, and other matters. The advantage of
having by-laws is mainly administrative ; it is not easy to
prove that a dirty passage or ceiling is per se injurious to
health, but if such a condition is an infringement of a by-law
it is then only necessary to establish the fact without any
theory as to the bearing of such fact on health.
The method of applying the by-laws followed on a
previous occasion consisted in bringing up at each meeting
of the Public Health Committee a list of houses which it
was proposed to put on the register. Such lists the
Committee adopted or not by resolution. This course will
probably be followed.