View report page

35
Annual Report of the Sanitary Inspector,
FOR THE YEAR 1903.
To Dr. G. A. Garry Simpson, Medical Officer of Health.
Sir,
I herewith present my Fourth Annual Statement, showing the
particulars of the action taken in the suppression of Nuisances &c.,
and various improvements effected by this Department during the
year 1903.
The amount of sanitary work which has been done through the
medium of this Department will be seen from the tables which I
have compiled.
The class of work executed in the abatement of nuisances arising
from defective drains, &c., is on the whole very good, but I am
sorry to say we still come across Owners who will not employ
skilled tradesmen, consequently the workmanship in these cases
is most inferior, though they always manage to execute the
work sufficiently well as to prevent my taking any action. To
illustrate this I can state that in one instance I found a broken
down photographer doing sanitary work for an Owner, and I have
frequently come across painters and odd men relaying drains, &c.
There is no remedy for this and Legislation does not give the power
to specify the weights of materials to be used, nor to prescribe
the manner in which the work shall be carried out, which is
obviously unsatisfactory.
In July the Council appointed me a delegate to attend the
Sanitary Institute Congress at Bradford, the proceedings being of a
valuable and instructive nature.
The Presidential address was delivered by the Right Hon.
the Earl of Stamford, and should be read by everyone interested in
sanitation as it will be found to be both interesting and instructive.
I am pleased that the Infectious Hopital will shortly be
completed. The removal of infectious cases to Islington and other
Hospitals takes up much of our time which could otherwise be
more profitably employed
During the year I have had no applications from persons
desiring to avail themselves of the Cleansing of Persons Act, 1897.
I frequently disinfect verminous premises when I find same. On
one occasion a woman who called to make a complaint with