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and sufficient accommodation shall be provided, and the Director of Public Cleansing that the refuse
shall be easily accessible for collection. During the year, twelve schemes were approved after consultation
with the Director of Public Cleansing. At Portman Buildings, Crawford Buildings, Ossington
Buildings and Wharncliffe Gardens the replacement of fixed ashpits with bins was completed during
the year, and replacement is almost complete at Wendover Court.
Radioactive Substances Act, 1960.
This Act came into operation on the 1st December, 1963, and introduced a system of registration
by the Minister of Housing and Local Government of premises at which radioactive substances and
apparatus are kept or used, and requires the Minister (unless questions of national security are involved)
to send copies of registration certificates to local authorities in whose area the premises are situated.
The Act also prohibits the accumulation or disposal of radioactive waste except with the authority of
the Minister and he is required to consult with appropriate local authorities and public bodies before
granting any such authority which is likely to result in a need for special precautions to be taken by
them. Copies of all authorisation certificates must be sent to the local authorities whose areas will
be affected.
Three premises are registered in the Borough for the keeping and use of radioactive material and
three premises authorised for the accumulation and disposal of these materials. Additional national
arrangements for dealing with incidents involving radioactive substances came into force on the 15th
March, 1964. These are intended to cover incidents such as damage to containers occurring on
premises where expert assistance is not immediately available or accidents to vehicles carrying
radioactive substances, and should ensure that expert advice can be obtained quickly in radiological
emergencies. Responsibility for initiating action rests with the police. The special arrangements
include all action for dealing with casualties, for decontamination, and for disposal of radioactive
waste. There might be some public alarm if an incident receives publicity, and the Medical Officer of
Health should be able to give information or reassurance after consultation with the expert officer
in charge of the arrangements.
Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials.
The Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials Act, 1951, is intended to ensure that the fillings for
upholstered and other stuffed articles shall be clean and wholesome. Standards of cleanliness are laid
down in Regulations made under the Act, which also provides for licensing of premises where the
fillings are manufactured or stored, and registration by the local authority of all business premises
where these materials are used. No premises in St. Marylebone are licensed for manufacture or storage
but fourteen premises, mainly those of upholsterers and manufacturers of cushions and pillows, are
registered.
Burial or Cremation of the Dead.
Under section 50 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, it is the responsibility of the Council to
arrange for the burial or cremation of the body of any person who has died or been found dead in the
Borough where no other suitable arrangements for disposal have been or are being made.
Four burials and four cremations were arranged during the year.
Transportation of Bodies Abroad.
In certain cases where bodies are transported overseas, the Medical Officer of Health of the district
in which death has taken place is asked, where applicable, to furnish a certificate to the effect that the
deceased did not die from any infectious or contagious disease and that no recent epidemic of dangerous
infectious disease had occurred in the district.
During the year seven certificates were issued in respect of bodies being transported abroad, four to
Italy, one to Cyprus, one to France and one to Saudi Arabia.
Cremation.
The Medical Officer of Health is Medical Referee for the Council's Crematorium, which is situated
at the St. Marylebone Cemetery, East Finchley. During the year, 1,785 certificates authorising
cremation were issued and since December, 1937, when the crematorium was opened, 28,881 cremations
have taken place.
Dog Nuisance.
The Council's revised byelaw dealing with this nuisance came into operation on 31st May, 1960.
It provides that: "No person being in charge of a dog shall allow the dog to foul the footway of any
street or public place by depositing its excrement thereon."