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36
Scavenging.
Shops Act,
1934.
Pharmacy
and Poisons
Act, 1933.
Smoke
Nuisances.
Complaints.
Drainage.
Rats and
Mice.
III.—SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AREA.
The Public Cleansing Officer has kindly supplied me with particulars as
to the revisions in the Public Cleansing service during the year :—
Market Cleansing.—Refuse from Street Markets is now collected by
the movable container system. Containers of lj cubic yards capacity are
left in each market and during trading hours are filled by scavengers engaged
exclusively in market cleansing. The container, when full, is removed by
a specially constructed vehicle, an empty clean container being left in its
place. The great advantage in this system is that the refuse remains in the
covered container from the time it is loaded by the scavengers until it is
unloaded at the disposal centre, and therefore obviates the unpleasantness
of refuse being exposed when being loaded from bin to lorry.
Collection of Refuse from Hospitals, Tenement Dwellings, etc.
—The system outlined above is being adopted as far as possible for refuse
collection from premises where conditions permit its introduction, and without
doubt is a vast improvement on the old method of collection with the use
of dust baskets. In fact, so many applications have been received for conversion
to the system that it has been found necessary to purchase additional
containers and vehicles to cope with the demand.
2,818 inspections were carried out during the year. It was found
necessary to serve 76 notices, i.e., 29 with respect to sanitary accommodation,
19 to ventilation, and 28 with respect to temperature. 12 applications were
received for exemption under Section 10(2) of the Act, 11 of which were
granted.
This Act came into force on the 1st May. 84 persons were entered in the
List of Persons entitled to sell Poisons included in part II of the Poisons List.
2 were removed from the list : one at his own request as the business was
given up and in the other case the premises closed. 614 inspections and
visits were made by the sanitary inspectors during the year.
491 observations were made by the Sanitary Inspectors for the detection
of nuisances from smoke, which necessitated the serving of 36 Intimation
notices for the abatement of the nuisance.
2,875 written complaints were made to me during the year, which were
duly investigated. Of these 91 were from H.M. Inspector of Factories
relating to workshops, 145 from the London County Council respecting verminous
school children, 2 from the London County Council respecting premises under
the Shops Act, 1934 and 2,637 related to the condition of houses, etc. In
addition inspections were made as a result of complaints made to the Sanitary
Inspectors.
The Sanitary Inspectors supervise all drainage work. Full particulars
as to the work done by them are given on pages 45 and 46. 2,606 drains
were tested during the year. Of these, 307 were found to be defective.
During the year 1,073 complaints were received as to nuisances from rats
or mice. As a consequence 1,175 drains were tested and in 484 instances they
were found to be defective. 595 complaints were forwarded to the Borough
Engineer and Surveyor, so that the Council's ratcatchers could call and assist
the tenants concerned.
I am indebted to the Borough Engineer and Surveyor for the following
information as to work carried out during the year by his department.