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Public Conveniences.—The usual supervision was exercised over the 15 public sanitary conveniences
(11 for men, 4 for women).
Public Cleansing and Salvage.—The Director of Public Cleansing has kindly provided the following
information on these services.
The amounts dealt with during 1947 were: house and trade refuse, 32,115½ tons; street sweepings
and gully slop, 2,881½ tons: salvaged materials, 2,648 tons, including 1,733¼ tons of kitchen waste
for pig and poultry feeding collected from 550 bins placed at intervals in the streets for the reception
of this material. A sum of £7,382 13s. Id. was obtained from the sale of salvaged materials. In
addition, £710 7s. 2d. was received for the removal of trade refuse, green offal, and the cleansing of
petrol interceptors.
During the year the street cleansing and snow clearing services were further mechanised by the
purchase of four mechanical road-sweeping collecting vehicles, three street gritting machines and
two motor footpath snow ploughs. Orders were also placed for four road ploughs for attachment to
the Council's vehicles.
Mechanical night cleansing was re-introduced and the whole of the street cleansing and snow clearing
services were re-organised with the object of reducing the number of street orderlies and improving
the general standard of street cleanliness.
Shops.—Inspections under the Shops Act, 1934, numbered 103. In 17 instances service of notice
was necessary.
Diseased or Infirm Persons.—One hundred and ninety-seven old people living on their own were
visited, and the majority of the cases required continued observation. The domestic help service
was able to render valuable assistance in many instances. In one case it was necessary to make
application to Court to obtain an Order, under Section 224 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936,
for the removal of an infirm person to hospital.
Bed Bugs.—Sixty-two dwellings (including 19 requisitioned premises and 11 municipal flats) where
bugs were found were disinfested. The furniture of 122 families (of whom 92 were rehoused) was
treated by the hydrogen cyanide process.
Verminous Persons.—The numbers of adults and school children using the Cleansing Station were 561
(459 men, 102 women) and 1,207 (338 boys, 869 girls) respectively.
Shelter.—The shelter accommodation provided at No. 217, Lisson Grove, under section 195(4) of the
Public Health (London) Act, 1936, for families temporarily dishoused was used for one night only on
three occasions while disinfestation of dwellings was being carried out.
Rats and Mice.—Complaints received numbered 740, and 52 food and 500 other premises were found to
be infested. Of the 52 food premises, 17 were shops, 29 hotels and restaurants and 6 clubs ; the 500
other premises included 261 dwelling houses, 86 shops, 104 warehouses and stores, 7 factories, 16
hospitals and institutions, and 26 offices. Where necessary ratproofing was carried out at infested
premises. I lie chief methods employed for the extermination of rat s were poison baiting and
trapping, and the work was carried out on the lines recommended by the Ministry of Food. Sewer
treatments were applied in January and July.
Under the Council's rat destruction service, occupiers of residential properties and business premises
are charged 5s. and 10s. per treatment respectively. Advantage of the scheme was taken in all cases,
in two of which, on the ground of inability to pay, the charges against the occupiers were waived.
The rat catchers made 9,390 visits in connection with this service—an increase of 1,609 visits on the
total for 1946. A third whole-time rat catcher was engaged on the work as from the 24th November,
1947.
Dog Nuisance.—Contravention of the bye-law relating to the fouling of footways by dogs was reported
by the Streets Nuisance Inspector in 30 cases and by police officers in one instance, in all of which
(excepting one where the case was dismissed) convictions were secured and penalties imposed. The
total number of prosecutions since the bye-law came into operation in 1928 is 382, the amount of fines
imposed being £152 12s. Od.
Mosquitoes.—One complaint of mosquitoes was received. The nuisance was traced to breeding in
emergency water tanks and bombed sites, and remedial treatment proved effective.
Noise.—Complaints of eighteen noise nuisances were received. They were concerned with such diverse
matters as a garage, an exhibition, factories, a students' home, a cockerel, street musicians, radio,
night clubs, and the shovelling of coal. The majority of these nuisances were abated after informal