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24.
In this preamble, reference is made to the vast amount of redevelopment
taking place in Shoreditch. It is safe to assume that this Council is second
to none in their progress in this field, and whilst this reduces the number of
house-to-house inspections, the Public Health Inspectors' work has been
considerably increased in assiduously tracing and abolishing all old drainage
systems, and supervising an ever-increasing amount of new drainage and plumbing
works this extensive development involves.
The extent of this additional work may be assessed when one considers that
166 properties have been demolished and 235 new local authority flats have been
erected during the year, to make no mention of the many new factories and
business premises erected.
Routine work in the inspection at pre-determined intervals of all business
and commercial premises, is considered to be of the utmost importance. In this
respect, a complete programme of inspections is strictly adhered to insofar as
staffing difficulties will permit, and this work together with re-visits
resulting from basic routine inspections involves an average of about 15,000
visits each year.
Accordingly, to employ the Public Health Inspectors' technical abilities
to the full, plans are in formulation to reduce their time spent on clerical
work to a minimum. Consideration is being given to the adoption of a complete
new and modern clerical system of controlling this important work, and it is
hoped to apply this early in 1961.
To reduce further the clerical work of the Public Health Inspectors, and
also to make full use of typists unable to do shorthand, consideration is
being given to the introduction of dictating machines into the Department,
Conditions under which people live and work, safe clean unadulterated food
and drink, and unpolluted air, are vital subjects under the constant vigilance
of the Public Health Inspector.
It is possible to formulate a programme of routine inspections of houses and
flats, all places of work, food premises and stalls, public houses, cafes,
restaurants and snack bars, canteens and hairdressing establishments, together
with frequent and regular sampling of food and drink, swimming bath water, and
the air we breathe.
All these subjects are of such a nature as to enable a programme of a
minimum number of inspections being made at pre-determined intervals during
the year, according to their type. Consequently a well considered fixed
programme has been designed in Shoreditch to ensure that this ir done.
Naturally these basic inspections will require re-inspections being made
according to conditions found at the time, but to observe constant vigilance
the Public Health Inspectors recognise that success depends upon the absolute
observance of a well considered programme of basic routine inspections.