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storage and collection has not helped. These are
often filled with household wastes and dumped in
alleyways with resultant spillages which provide
ample food sources for rodents. At the present time
approximately 115 infestations are under treatment in
the Southa 11 area.
Shops Acts
Difficulty in communication is again a major problem.
Three main offences against the Shops Acts relate to
trading after prescribed hours, non-observance of the
weekly early closing day, and illegal Sunday trading.
Much time is spent endeavouring to explain the
requirements of the Acts to traders but prosecutions
result when all else fails. There have so far been 33
cases against immigrants and 7 against other traders
in the Southall area. Some complaints arise from the
habits of the Asians of using their shop premises as
venues for social intercourse. This has the effect of
the shop lights remaining on long after closing hours
and persons being seen to enter and remain in the
shop, although sales are not necessarily taking place.
Enforcement in these circumstances is difficult.
Many shops are exempted from the provisions of the
Offices, Shops & Railway Premises Act, 1963 because
only self-employed persons or employers relatives
are engaged. The Act prescribes the relationships
which apply and these are restricted and it is often
difficult to explain this in cases where the occupier
regards any person of his own race as his close
relation for this purpose.
DENTAL SERVICES
In the Southall area the estimated figures for immigrant
attendances at King Street and Northcote Clinics are now
approximately 50% of total attendances, having risen from
approximately 35% in the last two years. This high figure
is in part due to the fact that in addition to catering for
those children attending schools in their catchment area
these clinics have to deal with an increasing number of
children from other clinics in the Borough for extraction
under general anaesthesia. The purpose of this referral is
that the children can attend the clinic nearest their home
and thus make it easier for parents to accompany them,
an essential prerequisite to the administration of general
anaesthesia. It also minimises the distance the child has
to travel home after general anaesthetic, an important
consideration when dealing with parents who rarely have
their own transport.
Although, except when general anaesthesia is being
administered, the presence of a parent is not essential it
is always highly desirable. This is particularly the case
in primary school children and these, as a consequence
of dispersal, are at present treated at clinics at a distance
from their homes. This means that parents find it difficult
to accompany the child to the clinic and the dental officer
does not therefore have the benefit of a proper medical
history and does not have an opportunity to explain the
nature and necessity of treatment to parents. Other
problems consequent upon dispersal are the difficulty in
obtaining the parents' signature on the consent form and
the problems associated with the fact that after treatment
the child is unable to return home until the bus leaves
school at 3.30 p.m. In order to minimise these difficulties
arrangements have been made for Welfare Assistants from
the schools to accompany the children to the clinic. This
has however thrown strain on the limited number of
Welfare Assistants available.