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are 48 committals awaiting them, but whatever is clone is a waste of time
anil energy, the present powers of the law, Police, and Sanitary Authority
being simply unable to effectually deal with them. There are a few respectable
gipsies who give little or no trouble, but the majority are nothing else
but a filthy, lazy, blackguardly lot. Wherever they camp the fences of the land
soon disappear. Their habits are of the crudest nature, and how much longer
they are to be permitted to roam the country under present conditions, is
a question which should receive the serious consideration of respectablecitizens.
There are very few vans which are not overcrowded, and morality is
practically an unknown quantity. If it were not for the fresh air and open
life they lead, serious trouble would result to the community. To see twenty
vans and tents together is a common occurrence, and this means nearly 100hunian
beings without water supply or sanitary convenience of any kind. In
my opinion every owner, or responsible owner of a van should be registered,,
and be compelled to have a registered number on the van and a certificateidentifying
the owner and the number of the van, similar to canal boats used
as dwellings. This would prevent them assuming fictitious names and continually
evading the law. The bona-fide showman, who has a valuable equipment
and lives in a van, keeping it in a most creditable condition, is subject
to expensive license, rent of land, payment of water rate, and strict supervision
; yet the so-called gipsy is allowed to go scot free.
FACTORY AND WORKSHOP ACT, &e.
The number of inspections of bakehouses, workshops, factories, etc.,.
is included in your Medical Officer's Report, as required by the Factory and
Workshop Act, 1901; also, the tabulated statement of work done under its
various headings, in the form required by the Medical Officer of Health for
the County Council of Middlesex.
CLERICAL WORK.
The following is a short summary of the clerical work done during
the year :—
Number of letters written 1572:
Number of letters, etc., filed for future reference 1347
Number of notices sent to Schools 2046
Number of notices sent to Public Library 177
Preliminary notices 2978
Statutory notices 332
I have curtailed this Report as much as possible, most of the work done
in the Department being quoted by your Medical Officer of Health in hisAnnual
Report.