London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Ealing 1937

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]

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The following table gives the number of pail closets, the number of cesspools and the number of water closets connected therewith in the areas mentioned:—

WardsCesspoolsWater ClosetsPail-ClosetsHouses within 100 feet of SewerNo. of Houses
Northolt382923452
Greenford77310
Hanwell North111
Mount Park and Drayton2437
484129470

Public Cleansing.-—During the year the Public Cleansing
Service came under special review.
Street Cleansing.—The system was entirely changed over to
the Truck Beat System. Scavengers now work singly or in pairs
as necessity dictates, each man being equipped with a two-bin
truck. The sweepings are collected from the trucks on the beats
by specially built covered scavenging lorries. Frequent calls are
made on each scavenger during the day. There are now no
scavenger gangs and no horses and carts picking up sweepings.
Temporary dumps for sweepings are abolished except in a few
instances where the last truck loads of the day are set down for
early collection next morning. Sweepings are taken to the controlled
tips by the lorries immediately after sweeping and are thus
expeditiously and efficiently disposed of. A mechanical sweepercollector
is also employed.
Gully Cleansing.—Two steam gully extractors were put out
of use and a modern type of machine obtained. A further machine
is being obtained in the near future.
Continuous efforts are made to get agreements with estate
developers for scavenging and gully cleansing in new streets before
their adoption by the Council. A nominal charge is made and the
plan is meeting with successful results, so improving the amenities
of newly developed estates.
Refuse Disposal.— In 1936 ten cells at the Southern Destructor
Works were closed down when controlled tipping was commenced
on the site of the old Hanwell Sewage Works. There remained
I