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58
years has rehoused the occupants of such houses. A few years ago the
Minister in a circular urged authorities to take this line, having regard
to the difficult position in which these families were placed. Because of
their difficulties in meeting the many demands, the Housing Committee
came to the opinion that, "generally speaking, where the occupants of
an insanitary dwelling are a man and wife only and of under pensionable
age, they should be expected to find their own alternative accommodation,
at any rate as a first step."
The Public Health Committee at their September meeting passed the
following resolution: "This Committee is increasingly alarmed at the
number of families displaced from houses condemned as unfit for human
habitation and thus making it the moral responsibility of the Council to
rehouse these people."
Rehousing of Tuberculous Families. In their annual review of the
Council's housing position, the Housing Committee have generously
treated those families with a member suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis.
At one time, one in six of the houses that became available were
allotted for this purpose, quite a substantial number when large numbers
of houses were coming along. After a few years the worst of the cases
had been rehoused. Having regard to the improvement in the position
and to their increasing difficulties in meeting claims for rehousing, the
Committee then changed the factor to one in ten. This smaller factor
yielded sufficient houses even on the reduced number of houses which
became available, and the really urgent claims have been met even on
this smaller allocation. There is, though, a minimum number which will
be needed annually to meet the claims of those which will of necessity be
made. In this last year 10 houses were allotted to families with a member
suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. The rehousing of these families
is essentially a preventive measure, to reduce the risk of spread of infection
from the patient to his home contacts. It is not a step which is taken
primarily in the interests of the patient himself. Two factors above all
others are taken into account in assessing his risk of spreading infection.
These are his infectiousness and the degree of overcrowding of the
premises. In regard to the first point, the opinion of the chest physician
is obtained. With the various drugs now available to reduce the infectiousness
of patients, and the fall in the number of new cases, the demands
of this group will diminish, but probably it will be long enough before
they fall below the small numbers these days considered necessary.
SUPERVISION OF OTHER PREMISES
Routine visits are paid by the sanitary inspectors to such premises
as factories, licensed premises, cinemas and other buildings.
Factories
Sanitation. Earlier legislation was largely repealed by and to a certain
extent re-enacted in the Factories Act, 1937. Under this a distinction is
drawn between those factories in which mechanical power is used and
those where it is not. The District Council has responsibilities in regard
to the cleanliness, overcrowding, temperature, ventilation and drainage