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articles of infected clothing, bedding, &c., were satisfactorily
disinfected by your Vestry's contractor. The weight of the
articles was 41 tons, 2 cwts., their number 20,939, the cost being
£816 4s. 3d. These totals represent a great increase on
those for the preceding year when the weight of articles disinfected
was a little under twenty tons, their number 9,425, and
the cost of the process about £381. Six hundred and eightythree
rooms in 668 houses, were disinfected by your Vestry's
Officer, irrespective of those disinfected by the contractor
in his private capacity,—a diminishing number. The rooms
disinfected by your Vestry's Officer in the preceding year
were 364, in 323 houses.
PUBLIC BATHS AND WASH-HOUSES.
The Baths and Wash-houses, at the junction of Lancaster
and Silchester Roads, Notting Hill, opened in April,
1888, have been well supported. But for the majority of
parishioners the site is not sufficiently central for bathing;
and obviously it is too remote for washing purposes. The
same objection would apply to any single site in the parish.
Much good might be effected by the provision of buildings,
on a modest scale, in several localities, to which the poor
could resort for the purpose of washing clothing. The
statistics contained in the successive Annual Reports of the
Commissioners for Baths and Wash-houses, show a constantly
increasing use made of the wash-houses, and are of a nature
to encourage the hope that it may be found not merely desirable,
but prudent also, to provide, at no distant time, for the
wants of the poor in the central and southern parts of the
parish. The total number of washers, 13,950 only, in the
year ended March 25th, 1889, rose to 31,113 in the year
ended March 25th, 1890, to 39,829 in the year ended
March 25th, 1891, to 42,528 in the year ended March 25th,
1892, and to 46,843 in the year ended March 25th, 1893.
The number of hours employed in washing, in the five years,
consecutively, was 38,709,84,352,106,560,104,223 and 103,900,