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129
Structural alterations wore carried out at one property
resulting in two undesirable tenements being converted into
one dwelling. At three other cottages alterations were made,
including the removal of certain partitions, which materially
improved the lighting and ventilation of the ground floor
rooms.
There is probably no section of inspectional work connected
with public health administration which is. more
important or valuable than house-to-house surveys. Many
sanitary defects are discovered in their initial stages and
remedied before they become dangerous to the health of the
occupants of the premises. Other more serious defects are
promptly dealt with, which, but for the official inspection,
might have remained unremedied for a long period.
There have been but few instances in which owners have
not carried out works suggested by the department within a
reasonable time, but the dirty indolent tenant has proved a
somewhat difficult problem. These people are always "just
going to clean up," whenever the inspector calls, whether it
be in the forenoon or afternoon, and the result of our efforts
to secure an improvement in the condition of their houses is
not encouraging. They often freely complain of the condition
of the structure of the house, but they are themselves
responsible for its sordid and dirty state, and their conversion
to more cleanly habits is one of the most difficult tasks with
which we are confronted. Happily, the condition of many
cottages and tenements is a credit to their occupants, and the
contrast between their homes and those of their dirty
neighbours is most marked.
The sub-letting of parts of houses is prevalent in some
parts of the district, and is almost invariably accompanied by
a lowering of the standard of the sanitary condition of the
premises. For this reason, houses of this character are, as
far as possible, subjected to more frequent inspection.