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17
Water Supply.
The mains of the Metropolitan Water Board are available in
most parts of the District.
The well waters are generally of good quality, and local conditions,
such as badly constructed and protected tops, are usually the
cause of any inferior water.
Elementary Schools.
The medical inspection of school children, under Section 13 of
the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1907, is carried out
by the County Medical Officer of Health (who is also School Medical
Officer) and his assistants.
In many public health matters connected with the schools and
school children, it is now essential that a close co-operation should
exist between the School Medical Officer and the local Medical Officer
of Health, as the boundary line separating their spheres of work is
not always clearly defined.
Hop, Fruit, and Vegetable Picking.
The gathering of each of these crops brings a considerable influx
of men, women and children of the itinerant class into the District,
and the conditions under which they are temporarily housed
require special investigation and control.
In 1899 Bye-laws for securing the decent lodging and accommodation
of persons engaged in hop-picking were adopted, and in
1906 Bye-laws with respect to tents, vans, sheds, etc., used for
human habitation.
By the careful and continuous work of your Sanitary Inspectors
and by keeping strictly to the Bye-laws, the conditions year by year
have gradually improved, and I am glad to be able to say that in
the year 1911 the accommodation has been the best I have seen.
Although in some few cases there is still difficulty with owners,
on the whole they readily comply with suggestions for improvement.
In some instances the pickers abuse good accommodation when
provided.
No complaints have, during last year, been received as to uncleanliness
of tubs used for the conveyance of strawberries and other
fruit to market.
I am also glad to say that we have had no instance last year of
that objectionable practice of putting unclean straw under the strawberries
to keep them off the ground.