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With regard to the first of these, steady if unspectacular
progress has been made, with the full co-operation of the trade,
but it will take some time before all establishments can be brought
up to the standard required by the regulations.
Turning to the attack on anterior poliomyelitis, it is pleasing
to be able to record that the County Council's scheme of vaccination
against this disease has been commenced in a small way, without
untoward incident, and that there are great hopes for the future of
this project, the results of which are eagerly awaited.
Next, I would like to refer briefly to the Clean Air Act which
came into force at the end of the year and made provision amongst
other things, for smoke control areas. This latter is a matter which
the Council have had under active consideration and with the
acquisition of apparatus (which should be in operation next year)
to determine the daily atmospheric pollution, hope soon to be in a
position to decide their policy for the future.
Comment on the vital statistics is made elsewhere in this report,
but I am glad to be able to report that the infant mortality rate is
once again below that for the country, and that last year's
unexpected rise, fortunately, was not maintained.
The vital statistics as a whole must be considered satisfactory,
but your attention is drawn to the fact that the natural increase in
population, that is to say, the excess of births over deaths, has now
fallen to 37 from a corresponding figure of 577 in 1947. This
excess has been decreasing fairly steadily since that year, and if the
present trend is continued, one is faced with the rather unpalatable
fact that within a year or so there will be a natural decrease of
population.
The work of the department has continued smoothly throughout
a year in which additional legislation, as has already been
indicated, produced a number of new problems to be overcome,
and I should like to acknowledge my indebtedness to the staff for
their steadfast loyal support.
To Mr. Woods, the Chief Public Health Inspector, now
entering his fiftieth year in the Public Health service, I must offer
my heartiest thanks and congratulations on the quality and length
of that service. Mr. Judd, my Chief Clerk, is also deserving of
great thanks for his work in general, and in particular of the care
and attention he takes in the far from inconsiderable work involved
in compiling this report.