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believe, however, we have now arrived at a point in
our local history when it is safe to predict that our
present sanitary staff will for a long time to come
prove sufficient for its work.
You are aware that during the year the important
duty of " medical inspection of school children " became
compulsory, and has been actively carried on
by Dr. Arthur and Miss Gough, respectively the
medical inspector and health visitor appointed by the
Council for the purpose. This subject has been
specially reported on to the Education Committee,
and I need make no further allusion to it here. As
"school medical officer" it is my duty to pay quarterly
visits to all the elementary schools in the borough,
and exercise a supervision over their general and
hygienic condition. This, I am able to state, is satisfactory—and
as a result of no serious outbreak of
infectious disease having occurred in any department,
no school closure has been necessary.
Before concluding this report 1 wish to state that
when I am brought into contact with the Borough
Surveyor and his department, I continue to receive,
as in former years, and which I greatly appreciate,
the utmost assistance in carrying out my duties. From
information afforded me it appears that the class of
houses erected during the year differs but little from
that of previous ones ; two-thirds of the dwellings being
of the smaller class, necessitating, what I believe is
fully done, the most careful supervision on the part
of the building inspectors. It is, perhaps, not to be
expected that our population will increase during the
next few years with the same ratio of rapidity that it
has done in the immediate past. A possible indication
of this is the fact that only 421 houses were passed
for occupation last year, against the number of 699
given in my report for 1907. I am aware that this
may be exceptional and due to a variety of causes
such as depression in the building trade, etc. The
important " public works " under the control of the