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25
FACTORY ACT, 1937.
In this district there are 290 factories with mechanical power,
179 without mechanical power, and 183 workplaces, to which the
following numbers of visits were paid during the year:—Mechanical
factories, 471; non-mechanical factories, 216 ; and workplaces, 176.
Of the 69 public health nuisances detected, 17 were due to
want of cleanliness and 3 to absence of ventilation. There
were 26 instances of unsatisfactory sanitary accommodation, these
being unsuitable or defective in 20 cases, insufficient in 3,
while in 3 instances there was no separate provision for each sex.
23 other nuisances were detected.
48 notices from other Councils and one from an employer
were received containing the addresses of 108 outworkers. Of the
local outworkers, 95 were engaged in the making of wearing
apparel, 13 in leatherwork, one in brushmaking, one in the making
of artificial flowers and one in box-making. 105 visits of inspection
were made to outworkers' premises, in none of which were
unwholesome conditions found to exist.
ERADICATION OF BED BUGS.
During the year 17 Council houses and 62 other dwellings
were found to be infested with vermin; while of the 37 houses
included in Clearance Areas, in regard of which orders have been
confirmed or Demolition Orders have become operative, 27 were
verminous.
The Council houses were treated by being sprayed with Keritox
or other insecticides, or fumigated with a heavy naphtha.
17 houses, slightly affected, were treated by fumigation or
spraying.
Houses seriously infested were treated by outside contractors,
the cost of this work being borne by the owner or occupiers.
Before removal of tenants from infested houses to Council
houses, the houses and the household effects are fumigated and the
bedding steam-disinfested.
Success in the method of bug eradication has not been
maintained and consideration is being given to the question of
treating the household effects by cyanide in a van constructed for
this purpose en route to the new house.
Periodical visits are paid to the tenants whose furniture has
been treated and if recurrence is found fumigation or spraying is
again done, which has had successful results, particularly where
the tenants have adopted the recommendations as to scrupulous
cleanliness.
CAMPING SITES.
Only one site was used as a camping ground, being one which
a party of about 60 of the Church Lads' Brigade have used for a
number of years for two weeks.