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7
As soon as the model Byelaws relating to the handling, wrapping and
delivering of food, and the exposure for sale and sale of food in the
open air, were issued by the Ministry of Food, the Council lost no time
in formally adopting them. These Byelaws were duly confirmed on
8th June, 1950.
It will be appreciated that the danger of contamination is more
acute during the summer months, so that, as yet, insufficient time has
elapsed since the coming into operation of the Byelaws for any considered
judgment to be delivered as to the effect of the new provisions.
It is not anticipated that any great difficulties will arise in implementing
the requirements of the Byelaws with the exception of those shops
which have open fronts.
The value of the Byelaws lies in the fact that bad practices are dealt
with in some detail and it will no longer be necessary to have to argue
these matters with the trader.
HOUSING
It is satisfactory to note there has been a decline in the number of
complaints received with regard to the condition of dwelling houses.
It is still very difficult, however, to get repairs carried out where the
reason for the neglect is that the owner finds the cost of maintenance
uneconomic.
It is inevitable that certain amenities which have been provided
by owners in the past, without question, are no longer forthcoming.
When it becomes necessary to invoke the law many tenants are surprised
to find that the standard of fitness to be enforced is necessarily a humble
one, and that items such as electric lighting, redecoration of rooms,
provision of dustbins, repairs of burst water pipes, clearance of choked
drains, etc., may have to be attended to by themselves.
There appears to be no prospect of an early revision of rents, so
that, with the continued rising costs of labour and material, it is obvious
that even greater difficulty will be encountered in meeting complaints of
unsatisfactory housing conditions.
Houses let in Lodgings—Byelaws
Many of the complaints relating to housing conditions received bot
by the Public Health and the Housing Departments deal with the
unsatisfactory state of affairs resulting from the larger houses being subdivided
into several dwellings. This letting-off varies in degree from
the case of the odd boarder to the sub-letting of a whole floor or a suite
of rooms for use by a large family. Often the facilities provided are
quite inadequate ; there may be no domestic sink, no proper cooking
arrangements or ventilated food storage accommodation. The
difficulty in accommodating such things as prams, bicycles etc., leads