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public Health Office,
24, Somerset Street,
London, W.
29th June, 1916.
To the MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS OF THE
METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF ST. MARYLEBONE.
Mr. Mayor, Madam and Gentlemen,
In accordance with the instructions of the Local Government Board, I beg to
submit the following report for the year 1915, on the public health and sanitary
condition of St. Marylebone.
Acting on further instructions of the Board, I have curtailed the report
considerably, but I believe I have written enough to show that on the whole, the
year was a fairly satisfactory one and that despite the circumstances and the great
reduction in the size of the staff on account of enlistments, a great amount of really
valuable work was done.
I am glad to take this opportunity of thanking the members of the Public
Health Committee for the kindness and consideration they have shown me throughout
the year.
Councillor Sir Horatio Shephard and the Committee under his chairmanship,
always greatly interested in the work and impressed with the necessity of doing
everything possible on behalf of the public health, showed themselves no less ready
than in normal times to give sympathetic consideration to every suggestion made that
was likely to lead to betterment and to support it if it were likely to do good.
Fortunately during the whole year the late Mr. Alderman John Lea-Smith was
with us, and though he was unable to attend the meetings as regularly as in previous
years, still kept in close touch with the Department and particularly with the part of
the work relating to refuse removal and disposal. Speaking as an Officer of the
Council, I should like to say that Mr. Lea-Smith will be missed for a very long
time. A member of the Public Health Committee for a number of years, seriously
interested in the work that was done and a sound business man, his advice was
always valuable, and I shall always look back with the greatest pleasure to my
association with him and always regret his loss.