View report page

108
resort to legal proceedings. A system of disinfection by
formaldehyde gas has been almost universally adopted in
place of that by sulphur dioxide, though the latter is still used
for a limited number of cases where there is no likelihood of
damage resulting to expensive decorations and the like.
The Inspectors now carry tickets entitling people to a
certain supply of liquid disinfectant to be distributed from the
Public Health Office, and these are given to people who are
too poor or too ignorant to buy disinfectant of a reliable
character.
Your Committee adopted my recommendation to have a
clock indicator fixed on the Large Disinfector which will show
for every day on which the Disinfector is used the time at
which any disinfection has been carried out, the pressure
reached in the chamber, and the time during which this pressure
was maintained. The recording card is fixed on the apparatus
early in the morning by your Outdoor Superintendent, and the
indicating apparatus is then padlocked. The cards are removed
daily and submitted to your Medical Officer of Health for
examination.
PUBLIC SANITARY CONVENIENCES.
These have been inspected daily throughout the year by
Inspector Phillips, Miss Baker and Miss Johnson, and the
numberless details involved in their maintenance and management
have received due attention. Your Surveyor has on many
occasions most kindly given the department the benefit of his
advice and assistance in connection with alterations and repairs.
The ventilation of the Men's Lavatory at Oxford Circus,
has been materially improved at a small cost. The pavementlights
at the Marylebone Road Convenience have been entirely
overhauled and the prism-lights, which experience shews to be
distinctly dangerous, by reason of large pieces of glass chipping
off, have been removed.
The old stalls at Portland Road Men's Convenience, have
been taken out and new white glazed earthenware stalls, without
metal gratings, fixed in their place—an alteration which has
already effected a great improvement in the atmosphere of this
place. Efforts have been made to trace a leakage of water or
other liquid, into the St. John's Wood Road Convenience, but
without result. This effort should be renewed, as considerable
damage to the ceiling and walls, and possibly also to electric
light fittings may ensue.
The money takings are reported regularly to your Public
Health Committee and to the Council. All that can be said of
them is that they fluctuate in amount, in a manner and to an
extent which admits of no general explanation, but there are
indications that time spent on the supervision of this matter is
time very well spent.