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REPORT OF THE CHIEF PUBLIC HEALTH INSPECTOR
I have the honour of presenting my seventh annual re
port on the sanitary circumstances of the district.
The change of designation from sanitary inspector to
public health inspector which was brought about by the
Sanitary Inspectors (Change of Designation) Act 1956 did
not pass without comment from various interested sources.
Some of this comment was good natured leg pull some arose
from complete ignorance of the duties involved in the job
and some from quarters where any improvement in the lot of
the inspector appears to be resented. There can be no doubt
however that although the new designation may not be ideal
it gives a far more accurate idea to the general public of
the range of the inspectors work than the old one did.
There were fewer staff changes than in recent years
and consequently the additional duties and responsibilities
imposed by new legislation were absorbed without upsetting
the normal routine of the department. The Pood Hygiene
Regulations. 1955 came into force in part on the 1st
January, 1956. and all the necessary inspections and surveys
were made during the early months of the year. The routine
inspection of dwelling houses which was discontinued two
years ago due to staff shortages was recommenced. Unfor
tunately however it was necessary to call a temporary halt
to the clearance of unfit houses. Owing to procedural de
lays in connection with several Clearance Areas a con
siderable number of Orders became operative within a short
space of time to the acute embarrassment of the Housing
Committee. It is not expected that the clearance programme
as a whole will be adversely affected by this set back and
all unfit houses in the district should be cleared within
the time originally scheduled.
The Clean Air Act reached the Statute Book and parts
of it including the power to declare Smoke Control Areas
came into force on the 31st December. The opportunities
offered by this Act could if accepted, have a more bene
ficial effect on living conditions in the towns and cities
of this country than any other piece of public health legis
lation for many years. With hard work by the inspectorate
unwavering support from the elected representatives, will
ingness by the ratepayers to foot the bill and ever in
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