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The contents of pail closets at private premises are disposed of in
the gardens by the occupiers of the houses.
PUBLIC CLEANSING.
The system of fortnightly collection of house refuse instituted in 1941
continued during the early part of the year and in the middle of May it
reverted to the weekly collection. The general public have been most
patient during the war years regarding the collection of house refuse.
However the number of complaints received in 1946 regarding noncollection
showed a decrease of 33 per cent. on the previous year.
The charges for trade refuse collection and for cesspool emptying
remain the same ; the contents of the latter are disposed of by the public
sewers.
SMOKE ABATEMENT.
The chimneys of the small factories in the District give little trouble
and observation of these and the few large chimney stacks has never
resulted in any major problem.
RIVERS AND STREAMS.
From time to time inspections are made of the water courses in the
District, but apart from clearing them as frequently as is necessary, no
particular difficulty has arisen.
CAMPING SITES.
The Boy Scouts camping site at Featherbed Lane continues to exist
but owing to the war and other difficulties has not been used to the same
extent as in pre-war years.
The licensed site for two caravans at Coulsdon has not been altered
but the temporary licence granted for a period of six months in respect
of a third caravan has expired.
SWIMMING POOLS.
The swimming bath at Reedham Orphanage has continued to be
used on a modified scale and one sample of water was taken, which
proved very satisfactory.
SHOPS AND OFFICES.
As far as possible inspections have been made of the sanitary accommodation,
washing facilities, heating and ventilation of shops and offices
and improvements have been effected as circumstances have permitted.
FACTORIES AND WORKPLACES.
In 1946 there were 175 factories and 21 workplaces in the District.
These figures show a slight increase on the previous year and are only
slightly greater than the number in existence in 1938.
The number of premises used by outworkers in 1946 was 42.
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