View report page

27
ANNUAL REPORT OP THE CHIEF SANITARY INSPECTOR
FOR THE YSiiR 1947.
TO THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS OF THE
ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON-UPON-THAMBS.
Mr, Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It affords me much pleasure to present for
your consideration the following review of the work
of your Sanitary Inspectors for the year 1947.
It is submitted in the hope that it will
prove informative to the reader, and of some
assistance to those who are interested in the subject
of sanitation, or what, nowadays, is more familiarly
known as environmental hygiene.
The Report covers the twenty-ninth year that
I have been privileged to serve your Corporation and
the people of this town, and for convenience, it is
divided into three Sections, viz:- Sanitary
Circumstances (Section C); Housing (Section D); and
Inspection and Supervision of Pood (Section E).
Looking back over the year, there were two
periods during which the abnormal weather conditions
created unwelcome problems for the department. The
first, of course, was that extremely cold period
which I believe commenced on 22nd January and continued
without a break for over six weeks. During
this period, sanitary and water fittings, and
plumbing arrangements generally, suffered severely
as the result of frost. The second period was the
exceptionally hot spell which caused considerable
damage to, and loss of, foodstuffs. It was the
cause also of a good deal of extra work in the way of
inspections necessary to safeguard the food supply.
The combined effect of the cold spell and the
fuel crisis on the supplies of sanitary fittings and
building materials was very noticeable by the late
Spring, by which time it was virtually impossible to
obtain locally certain earthenware and stoneware
fittings. The supplies of plaster board, roofing
slates and cast iron pipes and fittings also were
stringently restricted. The sense of frustration
which resulted from these several circumstances may
well be understood, as well as the fact that it was
not overcome without effort.