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41
ments; these undesirable people come in relays. With the
assistance of the Police and the School Attendance Officer
I have moved one lot on, only to find in a day or so that a
fresh batch have arrived. They leave a considerable amount
of refuse and filth behind, and arc a pest and terror to the
local residents, especially the timid housewife. Unfortunately
so far I have not been able to recommend a case for prosecution
under the bye-laws.
Removal of House Refuse.—The work of collection and
disposal of house refuse is carried out by contract, and the
contractor is required to empty the dustbins once each fortnight
in North Cray Parish, and in the other parishes once
each week. The work has been carried out in a satisfactory
manner in the Parishes of Mottingham, North Cray, St. Mary
Cray, and St. Paul's Cray; but there has been irregularity in
the collection at Orpington, which has given cause for a
number of complaints.
River Cray.—Owing to the continued activity of the
springs at Orpington, there has been a good flow of water
and the river has been in a satisfactory condition. I have
paid a considerable number of visits to different points of the
stream for the purpose of detecting any possible pollution or
obstruction, and in one instance it was necessary to serve a
preliminary notice requiring the removal of stable manure in
close proximity to the stream.
Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act.—I have made special
visits to premises upon information or complaint of rat
infestation. Circulars were distributed giving suggestions for
rat destruction, and recipes for making baits. Occupiers
generally make an effort to keep down the rats, but there are
some people who think they are everybody's rats but their own.
SUMMARY OF WORK DONE DURING THE YEAR.
Total number of inspections made 3,013
Number of nuisances discovered 410
Number of statutory notices served 99
Number of preliminary notices served 201
Number of reports, letters, etc., sent 1,446
Visits to common lodging house 40
Visits to factories and workshops 126
Visits to bakehouses 95
Visits to dairies, cowsheds and milkshops 176
Visits to slaughterhouses 226
Visits to other food shops 760
Houses disinfected and fumigated 61
Institutions disinfected 7