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(c) Cases of infirmity or sudden illness in the elderly.
(d) Simultaneous illness of several members of the same family.
(e) Other temporary domestic predicaments of a similarly
deserving and urgent nature.
By the 15th of January, 1945, the Public Health Department
had appointed their first Domestic Help, and all local medical
practitioners, nurses and others interested had been notified of the
commencement of the scheme.
During the first six months of the year, 22 households were
provided with varying amounts of domestic assistance.
In June the Scheme was temporarily discontinued owing to lack
of demand, but it was revived again at the end of November. During
the last month of the year the services of a Domestic help were made
available to six households.
SECTION C—SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
WATER SUPPLY.
Richmond has two separate sources of drinking water: —
(a) from certain local wells,
(b) from the Metropolitan Water Board.
The wells are seven in number, one of them being sunk 320 feet
deep to reach 2 miles of adits in the chalk, whilst the supply from the
Metropolitan Water Board is received through six connections off the
30-inch diameter M.W.B. Main.
As to purity, the whole of the drinking water for the Borough
is chlorinated before going into supply, a small residuum of chlorine
being allowed to remain in solution as an extra precaution. Of the
water so treated, 32 samples were taken during the course of the year,
all of which reached the highest standard of bacterial purity. During
the year, one sample was also taken from the raw water itself and
found upon analysis to be bacteriologically satisfactory.
As to physical properties, Richmond well water contains 27 parts
per 1,000,000 of hardness, whilst the M.W.B. water contains 22. So
mixed, the water supply is made available by piped delivery to every
building in the Borough.