London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Kingston upon Thames 1946

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kingston-upon-Thames]

This page requires JavaScript

2. Number of houses erected by private enterprise.

New Construction.War Damaged.
Nil under
Circular 92.- houses
6 flats
Total6

3. Total number of permanent houses for the Working Classes erected by the Corporation since March 1924, up to the end of December 1946.

782 houses-
74 flats.4
Total 8564

4. Number of 'Arcon' temporary dwellings and the number of
two-year huts completed during 1946.
53 ten-year dwellings.
12 two-year
65
SECTION E.
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION
OF FOOD.
Milk Supply. One reads and hears a good deal about
revolutions of one kind and another, but there is one big
change which has taken place during the last few years
which could well be described as a revolution, of the
bloodless type, but it has not occasioned any lasting
general public interest. This revolution is connected
with the distribution of milk in this country.
At the commencement of 1939, the number of registered
dairymen in the borough was 77 and there was one cowkeeper.
By the end of 1943 the number of dairymen had decressed to
40, at which figure it stood until 1946, when the number of
dairymen actually retailing milk in Kingston dropped to 16.
The last remaining herd of cows also left this congested
urban area for pastures new during that year. This change
is not localised for a similar large reduction has taken
place all over the country, to a greater or lesser degree,
according to the density of population, and it has been
brought about by rationalisation of the distribution of
milk.
One can understand the regret of the small dairyman who
fought so hard to retain his small business and who,
ultimately, had to sell out to a larger firm, equally
understandable, and no less to be deplored, was the 1oss of
choice of dairyman, suffered by housewives. This may appear
to some as being quite unimportant, but i t is not easy to
change a custom which has existed for decades, particularly
if it also entails a loss of freedom.