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54
(f) A shallow well in the forecourt of the Fountain public house,
Church Road, Stanmore. This has not been used for years, and is now
surfaced over.
(g) There is a deep well at Messrs. Hivac Limited, Greenhill Crescent.
The well opening is concreted over.
(h) The deep well at the Greenhill Laundry is no longer in use, and
is sealed over with a stone slab.
The position, then, is that the use of the superficial wells has been
largely discontinued and no pollution of the deep wells is likely to occur.
Those not in use are adequately sealed, so that their pollution is unlikely.
On the other hand, there is little risk of pollution of these deep wells
which are in use.
PUBLIC CLEANSING
The cleansing services are under the administration and control of
the Borough Surveyor.
Refuse Collection
All the house refuse in the district is collected by direct labour once
a week from some 67,740 premises. In some areas more frequent
collections are made and sometimes it is suggested that this practice is
more hygienic; but if the volume of refuse which accumulates in a week
is not too much for the size of the bin, the only advantage of more
frequent collections is the reduction in the risk of the breeding of flies
and the decomposition of the contents of the bin. When during the
war collections could be arranged only once a fortnight, flies round the
bins were more prevalent, but at ordinary temperatures the incubation
period is sufficiently long for a weekly collection to be adequate. More
frequent collections might reduce the risk of putrefaction; but this again
is no real risk even with a weekly collection if care is taken to keep the
contents of the bin dry. From the hygienic point of view then there is
no case to be made for a collection more frequently than once a week.
The householder in her own interests should take care not only to keep
the contents of the bins dry, but to avoid depositing hot materials in the
bins as these destroy the galvanised coating which increases risk of
corrosion of the bins so shortening their life. This risk is greater these
days because of the emptying of red-hot ash from the all-night burning
fire.
At times special arrangements are made for the collection of what
might otherwise find its way to the refuse bin. Sometimes the demand
for paper warrants special arrangements being made for its collection,
while, of course, during the war and for years afterwards householders
were encouraged to deposit any waste food in special bins whose contents
were then made into pig food. From many parts of the district complaints
were received from nuisances arising from these bins because the
spilled contents favoured the breeding of flies and attracted rats. When
it was no longer obligatory on the Council to make arrangements for
the special collection of this waste food, the practice was discontinued.