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Food Bins.—Complaints were received of nuisance from communal bins placed at intervals in the
streets for the reception of kitchen waste for pig and poultry feeding. To ascertain the position
throughout the Borough, the sanitary inspectors made 150 pig bin inspections over a period of two
weeks. These revealed that almost without exception the lids were on the bins and no bins were
overflowing, but in some cases there was decaying vegetable matter in the bottom of the bins which
might give rise to nuisance from smells. The obvious remedy is to ensure that the bins are flushed
and cleansed at each emptying, but it is appreciated that the cost of introducing this ideal arrangement
or, alternatively, of removing every bin every time and replacing it by an empty bin previously
cleansed at the wharves, would be excessive. The Director of Public Cleansing, as the officer responsible
for the operation of this salvage service, is equally aware of the potential source of nuisance which
these bins create, and while he is endeavouring to meet this problem as far as practicable, it is
inevitable that some nuisance will arise. The bins (279 in all) are emptied thrice weekly, and are taken
to the wharves at the rate of six a day for thorough cleansing, repair and, where necessary, repainting.
Bins little used or regularly misused are withdrawn and the remainder sited where they are found
to be most needed. Kitchen waste collected from all sources in the Borough, it may be added, has
shown a marked decrease: about 1,700 tons in 1949; 1,400 tons in 1950; 900 tons in 1951. The
Public Health Committee, of course, are particularly concerned with the nuisance aspect of the scheme,
but while the separate collection of pig food remains a direction by the Government it would seem that
the Council have no option but to collect the material.
Shops.—Inspections under the Shops Acts numbered 153. In two instances service of notice for the
provision of adequate sanitary accommodation was necessary.
Diseased or Infirm Persons.—In the case of five infirm and physically incapacitated old people who
were living alone under insanitary conditions and whose relatives or friends were unable to render
assistance, it became necessary to resort to action under section 47 of the National Assistance Act,
1948. Three old ladies were removed to Paddington Hospital on Court Orders issued for a period of
three months, but two (aged 70 and 82 years) died within six weeks of admission. In the third case
the Order was subsequently revoked by the Court as the health of the patient (aged 80) showed
improvement and arrangements had been made for her future welfare. In two other cases (a man of
81 and a woman of 79) arrangements were made to apply to the Court for an Order for removal to
hospital but before the applications could be heard both old people had died, in one instance at home
and in the other after admission to hospital in an unconscious state. The unavoidable delay in dealing
with these last cases and others of a similar nature, caused by the obligation to give to the persons
concerned seven clear days' notice of the intention to apply for a Court Order for removal to hospital,
led the Council to request the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee to take steps to
secure amendment of the provisions of the Act of 1948 so as to reduce from seven days to not less
than 48 hours the period of notice necessary. This point was met by the National Assistance
(Amendment) Act, 1951, which came into force on the 1st September, 1951, and gives local authorities
further powers to enable them to deal expeditiously with cases of persons urgently in need of care and
attention which they are unable to provide for themselves and are not receiving from other people.
The new Act authorises a special procedure whereby a removal order may be made, without giving
the seven days' notice required under the 1948 Act, in a case where the medical officer of health and
another registered medical practitioner certify that in their opinion the person should be removed
without delay. This method provides for a person's detention for a period not exceeding three weeks.
Any application for an extension of this time has to be made under the provisions of the 1948 Act.
Burial or Cremation of the Dead.—Under the provisions of section 50 of the National Assistance Act,
1948, it is a duty of the Council to cause to be buried or cremated the body of any person who has died
or been found dead in the Borough where no other suitable arrangements for disposal of the body have
been or are being made. The arrangements set up when the section became operative on the 5th July,
1948, continued to work satisfactorily and during 1951 the burial of 16 bodies was undertaken by the
Council. The total expenditure incurred in dealing with these cases was £123 2s. 2d., of which
£76 18s. 6d. had been recovered by the end of the year.
Disinfestation.—In 1948 a campaign against the bed-bug was launched on a scale greater than any
hitherto attempted. This was made possible by increased knowledge in the field of disinfestation
brought about mainly by wartime conditions and centred more particularly round the use of D.D.T.
(dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and improved methods of application to verminous premises.
Unlike many other disinfestants, D.D.T. is a stable substance and possesses distinct advantages in the
eradication of the bed-bug and other insect pests. Used in a 5 per cent. solution in kerosene, D.D.T.
has been found not only to possess an immediate killing effect on bugs but to leave on walls and other
surfaces a lethal deposit which remains effective for many weeks. The best known method of application
of the solution is by means of a fine whirling spray under constant pressure from a compressor unit