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42
8. That arrangements should be made by which the
occurrence of infectious disease in common lodging-houses or
casual wards should be made known by the local authority of
the district to the local authorities of other districts.
9. That local authorities should be empowered to require
the vaccination or re-vaccination of persons in common
lodging-houses or casual wards who are exposed to the
infection of small-pox.
Tenemented Houses.—Houses let in Lodgings.—
There are many houses in the Finchley district that have, of
recent years, become tenemented or let in lodgings. Their
great drawback is the circumstance that they were not built
for the purpose to which they are now put. They were
planned to accommodate one family and not several; and the
consequence is that for the latter purpose the water supply and
sanitary arrangements generally are inadequate. A house
which possesses every convenience for decent and healthy
living where one family is concerned has under the altered
circumstances, its sanitary provisions overtaxed, with the
result that apparatus frequently gets out of order and it is
difficult—in some cases quite impossible—to keep the premises
in a sufficient state cf cleanliness.
In addition to presenting conditions which are favourable
to the appearance of disease, these tenemented houses, by
reason of the overcrowding in them, favour its spread when
the disease is of an infectious nature; and the difficulties of
dealing efficiently with such cases is very great indeed. For
these reasons it is important that we should pay particular
regard to the sanitary condition of such premises and use
our best efforts to prevent the occurrence of infectious disease
and to diminish the facilities for its spread. As a Sanitary
Authority we are empowered to secure the registration of
houses let in lodgings and we already possess Bye-laws dealing
with these houses. Full advantage has not hitherto been taken
of our powers in this respect, and I recommend that a register
be kept and that the Bye-laws be enforced. The advantages
which would be reaped from such a course will well outweigh
the trifling increase in work that it would entail.