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19
RAG AND BONE DEALERS.
Byelaws made by the London County Council under Section 9 of the London
County Council (General Powers) Act, 1908, for regulating the conduct of the business
of a rag and bone dealer and with respect to premises used for such business, and the
apparatus, utensils and appliances in connection therewith were allowed and confirmed
in September. Seventeen premises to which the byelaws are applicable have been
placed upon the register, which is being kept for the purpose and are now under
observation.
VERMINOUS HOUSES.
The houses in which it was necessary to take measures on account of the presence
of vermin numbered 286, and some 584 rooms were dealt with during the year.
Sanitary notices were served where necessary and the usual steps were taken. In a
large proportion the cases came under our notice through intimations from the
School Authorities.
During the year the homes of some 163 children, 37 boys and 126 girls, notified
as verminous by the School Medical Officer, were reported with a view to the homes
and bedding, where necessary, being dealt with by the Sanitary Authority on the
children being cleansed and their clothing disinfected at the cleansing stations of the
London County Council in the neighbourhood. Intimations were received that 21
boys and 51 girls had been given the opportunity of being cleansed at the cleansing
stations, that in the cases of 17 boys and 61 girls statutory notices had been served
upon the parents to cleanse the children within 24 hours under Section 122 of the
Children's Act, 1908, and that in the cases of 1 boy and 20 girls legal proceedings
were pending for non-compliance with the requirements of Statutory Notices under
the Act mentioned. In a number of instances the same children figured more than
once upon the notices and their homes had to be visited and dealt with accordingly.
In practically all the cases reported the homes were visited by the Sanitary
Inspectors, and the following summarises the results obtained :—In 149 the rooms
occupied were satisfactory, varying from fairly clean to very clean, in 9 they were
dirty, in 3 buggy, and in 2 both dirty and buggy. In 144 the bedding was clean,
or fairly so, in 10 it was dirty, in 6 bugs were noticed, and in 2 it was both dirty and
buggy. In 1 instance evidence of lice was observed in the bedding. In this case
the bedding was also dirty and otherwise verminous. In two of the houses
evidence of poverty was marked. There were in addition to the foregoing 8 cases
in which the addresses were erroneous, and in some instances the forms received
related to non-residents in the Borough ; these were duly forwarded to their proper
destination.
Evidence of lice was found in the bedding in 0.6 per cent. of the cases investigated.
Arising out of the visits of the Sanitary Inspectors in connection with the cases
reported by the School Medical Officer some 9 sanitary notices were served upon
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