View report page

45
It is unfortunate that there is not a closer co-operation between
the Home Office on the one hand and Local Authorities on the other
hand in the matter of the inspection of factories.
Indeed it is even more unfortunate that when the Ministry of
Health was created, the medical inspection of factories was not
delegated to the Minister of Health, who could very well have
made regulations delegating his powers and responsibilities to Local
Authorities whose organisations made them competent to carry
out the work.
This has been very amply illustrated in the case of asbestosis in
Barking.
In a later part of this Report I am dealing more particularly
with asbestosis as a separate subject.
HOUSING.
The urgency of meeting the post-war shortage of houses resulted
not only in municipal enterprise and state aid to private builders
but also in a general improvement in the layout of the sites, reduced
density of the dwellings and the provision of open spaces in connection
with them.
The houses erected in Barking are of the typical town street type
with minimum frontage but substantial improvement in their
character and design over pre-war buildings. An occasional touch
of emphasis and variety, however, would have done much to relieve
the monotony of vista in some of the new streets.
Of all the changes which have taken place in house design, that
with respect to the heating of the dwelling is the most noticeable
and important.
The growing realisation of the evil effects of the smoke and waste
resulting from the use of raw coal in domestic fires is stimulating
the adoption of alternative methods.