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100
45a. Public Baths, Lavatories, and Cleanliness. During
the year ending March 31st, 1911, there were 96,257 private
baths taken at the Borough Council's Public Establishments
in Woolwich and Plumstead. It is satisfactory to find that
the number for 1911 showed a considerable increase on that
for previous years. The figures, however, are equivalent to
less than one bath a year per head of poplution, or to one
bath per "week for less than 2,000 persons. No doubt a large
proportion of the population have a weekly bath at home,
but, considering that there are no baths fixed in at least
three-fourths of the houses, it seems probable that the
majority of persons in the Borough do not have a bath as
often as is desirable for health.
Second class private baths can be obtained for 2d.
This is not a high price, but, in view of the fact that
it is to the interest of the public that every member of the
community should be personally clean, it seems desirable that
the prices should be still further reduced. Private spray
baths could probably be supplied at ½d. per head without
involving any considerable charge on the rates.
It cannot be too much insisted on that a dirty person is a
danger to the public health. This is especially the case with
respect to dirty hands. A person who has had enteric fever
may, through failure to wash his hands when decency requires,
infect the public food supply. The greatest cleanliness
should be practised by all persons engaged in selling milk,
meat, bread, fruit, &c. For this purpose public lavatories
are important, but the charge made is prohibitive to the
persons who it is of prime importance should make use of
the lavatories. The public lavatories in the Borough were
used last year for washing hands 7,946 times. If only those