View report page

77
upon the subject. Social workers have tried, and are still trying,
to find a cure. In the meanwhile a good deal can be done by public
health propaganda, advice and influence by all concerned. There
are, amongst others, three types of overcrowding, or classes of
overcrowded conditions, worth noting.
The first relates to houses where the number of occupants is
large and the family income on a low level. The difficulty which
arises in these cases is that removal to better accommodation and
happier conditions means higher rent, and, consequently, less to
spare for the absolute necessities of life.
The second is that class of case where the wage earner is unemployed.
This type of person is generally willing to move if
employment can be more or less permanently secured.
The third class is that of the person who, irrespective of income
or employment, takes little or no interest in improving his conditions
of living, and resists to the full any encroachment by public health
officials. The only solution which has been found effective in these
cases is to take statutory action for the abatement of the nuisance.
It is found that when pressure is exerted, good results are obtained.
Verminous Houses.—The Bed Bug.—This somewhat
distasteful, though nevertheless important, subject has received
attention during the year.
It may be of interest to mention that during his visit to a certain
town, whilst inspecting the housing conditions, the Prince of Wales
asked the question as to what is done to get rid of these pests—
bugs. The question is one which has occupied the minds of sanitarians
for many years.
The statutory powers given to Local Authorities to deal with
verminous houses is contained in the Public Health Act, 1925,
as follows :—
Section 46.—(1) If it appears to the Local Authority, on
the certificate of the medical officer or sanitary inspector, that
any premises used for human habitation in the district are
infested with vermin, the local authority may give written
notice to the occupier of the premises, or if the premises be
vacant to the owner of the premises, requiring him within a
period specified in the notice to cleanse the premises, and
the notice may require among other things, the removal of