View report page

16
Some cottages belonging to the London & North Western
Railway Company and situated at Willesden are supplied by the
Railway Company with water pumped from a deep well in the
chalk somewhere near Watford. The Company report it as being
exactly of the same quality as that supplied by the Colne Valley
Water Works Company. On reaching Willesden it is softened by
the Porter Clarke process, by means of lime water, and filtered, the
filters of necessity being cleaned twice daily.
The principal Industry of one portion of the District is
Laundry Work. This is carried on chiefly in South Acton and
Acton Green in the southern portion of the Parish. A large
number of women are employed in this work. In the winter
time in consequence of their having to go in and out of the drying
rooms saturated with steam, into the cold air, they are very
liable to get rheumatism, bronchitis and pneumonia. The poorer
women have frequently to leave their children at home to be
looked after by the elder children or by neighbours. The result
undoubtedly tends to cause an increased death rate amongst the
younger children in the summer from diarrhoea and in the winter
time from lung diseases.
The Scavenging of the district is done by dust contractors.
Every house in the Parish is supposed to be visited once a week,
and on a certain day of the week. During the year there have
been 225 complaints. I think that the only efficient manner is
that the Board should themselves undertake the removal of refuse.
The difficulty of getting rid of vegetable matter, rubbish, dust, &c.,
is becoming every year a more important problem. In the summer
time a large quantity of green vegetable matter collects on the