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and younger children and they would, therefore, have to be accommodated after school feeding
was at an end at 1.45 p. m. The alternative to this proposal would be to give the displaced tenants
a sum of money to obtain their own meals in their own way. So far as tenants displaced from clearance
areas are concerned, it would probably be in order to charge this up as expenses in accordance with
Section 41 of the Housing Act, 1930, which is as follows:—
"A local authority may pay to any person displaced from any dwelling-house or other
building to which a clearance order, a demolition order, or a closing order applies, or which
has been purchased by them under Part I of this Act as being comprised in a clearance area,
or under Part II of this Act, as being incapable of being rendered fit for human habitation,
such reasonable allowance as they think fit towards his expenses in removing ;
Waiting accommodation.— It would probably be desirable for the Committee to reserve say
one or two of the newly-erected houses fitted up in simple fashion for the use of families while waiting
for their disinfested and disinfected furniture and bedding to arrive back again or at their new
home, as the case may be.
GEORGE F. BUCHAN,
Medical Officer of Health.
APPENDIX.
Verminous Houses in Private Ownership.
This type of house was not considered by the Committee at its last meeting but I have reported
upon it here in order that the Committee may have before them the whole problem.
These houses come to the notice of the Health Department either on complaint by the tenant
or as a result of house to house inspection. Notice is served requiring the disinfestation of the house
and furniture, but the necessary arrangements for the effectual disinfestation of furniture and bedding
have, up till now, only been complete in respect of the steam disinfection of the bedding. The
authority under which the Health Department act is the Public Health Act, 1925, Sections 45 and
46, which are as follows:—
"45.—(1) If it appears to the local authority, on the certificate of the medical officer
or sanitary inspector, that any articles in any premises used for human habitation in the district
are infested with vermin, or by reason of their having been used by, or having been in contact
with, any person infested with vermin, are likely to be so infested, the local authority at their
expense, may cause such articles to be cleansed, disinfected or destroyed, and if necessary
for that purpose to be removed from the premises.
"(2) Where a person sustains damage by reason of the exercise by the local authority
of their powers under this section, and the condition of the article with respect to which those
powers have been exercised is not attributable to his act or default, the local authority shall
make reasonable compensation to that person.
"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 wallpaper or other covering on the walls, and the taking of such other steps as the
local authority may require for the purpose of destroying or removing vermin ;
"Provided that, where any work required by the notice is work for which the owner
of the premises is under the tenancy responsible, the notice requiring the work to be performed
may be given by the local authority to the owner of the premises.
"(2) If the person on whom a notice under this section is served fails within the period
specified in the notice to comply with the requirements thereof, he shall be liable to a penalty
not exceeding five pounds and to a daily penalty not exceeding ten shillings, and the local
authority may, after the expiration of the said period, themselves carry out the work required
by the notice, and recover the reasonable costs and expenses incurred by them in a summary
manner from that person.
"(3) If any person, upon whom a notice is served under this section, deems himself
aggrieved by the requirements of the notice, he may within fourteen days after the service
of the notice, appeal to a petty sessional court, and any order made by the court shall be
binding and conclusive on all parties."