View report page

31
ESTABLISHMENTS FOR MASSAGE AND SPECIAL TREATMENT
The registration of establishments for massage and special treatment is a function of the Borough
Council under Part XII of the Middlesex County Council Act, 1944.
During the year six new licences were granted and 39 were renewed. All the applicants are suitable
persons to hoild licences and their premises were found satisfactory.
RODENT CONTROL
Rodent control, as approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (Infestation Branch) has
been carried out in the properties below: —
Business premises 309
Borough Council properties 46
Private dwellings 1,342
1,697
The cost of disinfestation of business premises viz. £1,474 15s. 7d. was recovered from the occupiers.
The service is free to occupiers of private dwellings.
In July, the Council decided that, owing to the difficulty of recruiting staff, contracts with business
premises in the Willesden part of the area (there were no such contracts in Wembley) be not renewed, and
therefore these contracts will have lapsed by the end of May 1966.
Rodent control in the Council's sewers is carried out by the Borough Engineer's Department. Where
surface rat infestation is due to faults in the connections of the house drains with the sewer, the Borough
Engineer's Department arranges for the opening of the pavement.
CONTROL OF WILD PIGEONS
The contract entered into by the former Wembley Borough Council for the extermination of pigeons
from railway bridges was renewed for the year ending 31st March 1966.
The Council decided to make provision in the estimates for 1966/67 for the extension of the contract
to include railway bridges in the former Willesden part of the area, making a total of ten bridges in the
Borough.
UNCLEANLINESS AND SCABIES (Table 48)
Treatment for scabies, lice and nits has been carried out at Stonebridge Clinic. As compared with
1964, there has been an increase in the number of children under 5 years of age and adults treated for scabies,
and an increase in the number of children up to 15 years of age treated for lice and nits. However, the
numbers treated are still small, and there is no evidence of a significant increase in the prevalence of these
conditions among the population.
DISINFESTATION
The Public Health Inspectors inspect verminous premises and supervise the work of disinfectors
employed by the Council (section 83 of the Public Health Act, 1936) (Table 49). There was a decrease in the
work compared with the previous year.
The Council provide transport for clothing and bedding requiring disinfection and disinfestation
(section 84 of the Public Health Act, 1936). The Council's employees disinfect and disinfest rooms, and
collect and deliver the clothing and bedding.
PUBLIC MORTUARY
On 1st April, two mortuaries were transferred to the Council, viz. the Willesden Borough Council's
mortuary in Kilburn, and the Wembley Borough Council mortuary at the rear of the Town Hall. The Kilburn
mortuary was built last century, but was modernised and enlarged in 1961 at a cost of £3,000. It contains
a refrigerated chamber for six bodies and two separate post mortem tables, together with waiting room,
viewing room, toilet accommodation and offices. There is also a Coroner's Court in the curtillage, which is
seldom used (twice in 1964, once in 1965). The Town Hall mortuary was constructed in 1959/60, at a cost
of £16,300. It contains a refrigerated chamber for nine bodies and two separate post mortem tables,
together with waiting room, viewing room, toilet accommodation and offices.
The Mortuary Attendant at the Town Hall Mortuary resigned in August. The premises were closed
temporarily and all bodies were then received into the Kilburn mortuary. Complaints were made by the
Coroner and his Pathologist that the Kilburn mortuary was inadequate and that geographically it was
unsatisfactory. After very careful consideration, the Health and Welfare Committee recommended that the
Kilburn Mortuary be closed and in future all bodies be received into the Town Hall mortuary. This
recommendation was agreed by the Council and the decision was put into effect on the 2nd December, 1965.
During the year post mortems were performed on 765 bodies, followed by an inquest in 109 cases.
These inquests were held either at Hendon or Finchley.