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The War Damage 'Department of the Council have since executed
repairs on a most extensive scale to hundreds of the repairable
properties, and the following figures do not therefore represent the
present position, which has, of course, very considerably improved
and continues to improve.
1. Houses or separate duellings in Stepney
before the war 34,600.
2. Damaged beyond repair 8,600.
3. Damaged seriously 5,400.
4. Damaged slightly 15,000.
5. Total damaged 29,000.
CERTIFICATES OF ESSENTIALITY FOE REPAIR OF PROPERTY.
In October 1943 the Ministry issued Circular 2871 which dealt with
the general scheme for the repair of houses and provided for the issue
of certificates of essentiality by the Local Authority to serve for
evidence in procuring building licences from the Ministry of Works
and for the contractor to present to the Ministry of Labour as
protection of. the labour engaged on the work against transfer.
The circular aims at securing the maximum improvement in housing
conditions and defines the work which comes within the scheme.
The Medical Officer of Health reports upon applications received
and makes recommendations to the Town Clerk as to the. issuing of
certificates.
During the year 276 applications were recommended and 20 not
recommended.
Number of premises surveyed by the Sanitary Inspectors for such
purposes was 454.
LICENCES FOR REPAIR OF PROPERTY & REPAIR OF C(b) HOUSES (War Damage).
The Medica1 Officer of Health reports upon applications received
for above and makes recommendations to the Town Clerk as to the
issuing of licences for those properties which are, to be repaired by
the owners.
This necessitated many inspections by the 'Sanitary Inspectors.
V. INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD.
Total number of inspections and re-inspections made by the four
Inspectors engaged in the supervision and inspection of food amount
to 8206.
Legal Proceedings were taken out in 35 instances. The quantity of
foodstuffs dealt with as unfit for human consumption during the year
amounted to 220 tons under the Public Health (imported Food) regulations,
and 161 tons under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936 (see
also Analyst's Report). 1479 samples of food and drugs and 28 other
sample's were submitted for analysis. Assistance was also rendered
by these Inspectors to the Food Control Committee on Food Salvage,
new registrations, etc.
BASEMENT BAKEHOUSES.
In the year ending on 30th June 1939 and in every fifth year
subsequently, inspections of basement bakehouses must be made under
the Factories Act 1937. I accordingly made a quinquennial examination
of the remaining basement bakehouses in the early part of 1944, and
reported to the Committee that, of the 69 which were certified in
1903/4 under the Factory and Workshop Act 1901, only 23 remained open.
I further reported that, of the latter, 12 were unfit to retain their
certificates. Owing to the war and the shortage of suitable bakehouse
accommodation and the doubtful survival, owing to enemy bombing, of
those existing, it was decided to take no action to close unsuitable
bakehouses at the present time.
VI. PREVALENCE AND CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES .(Other than Tuberculosis).
766 notifications were received during the year: Scarlet Fever,
100; Diphtheria, 47; Puerperal Pyrexia, 7; Puerperal Fever, 2;
Erysipelas, 31; Cerebro-Spinal Fever, 7; Ophthalmia Neonatorum, 8;
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