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During the period under review, some 580 visits of investigation have been made but
little purpose has been served because, although urgent cases are referred to the Housing
Department, lack of new accommodation makes it impossible to do more than touch the bare
fringe of the demand. The need of the future is obviously more smaller dwellings so that
families can enjoy privacy and peace. If houses are to be provided which are too large,
sub-letting will inevitably result with all the evils of the shared house.
DRAINAGE
In cases where the disinfestation branch have reason to suspect that defective
drainage is the source of rat infestation, they are directed to report to the Sanitary
Inspector and, in this connection, it may be noted that drainage inspections during the
year amounted to 5,415. Many of these were instituted following reports of rat infestation,
then followed testing, the service of notices to repair, the supervision of works carried
out etc., but there was, of course, a certain proportion in connection with blockages and
other aspects.
The Public Health Act of 1936 unfortunately defined what were previously combined
drains as "public sewers" and, invariably, when owners are approached and read the words
"Public Sewer" on a notice, they assume that they are being asked to incur expense in
connection with what is, or should be, the Council's responsibility. This, of course, is
not so and it is unfortunate that a combined drain serving private houses in combination
and laid in private ground except for its short run eventually to the Corporations sewer
in the street, should be termed a public sewer.
This factor alone causes a considerable loss of time because protesting owners must
be convinced of the propriety of the Departments action.
PREVENTION OF DAMAGE BY PESTS ACT, 1949
This Act, which replaced the Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919, came into operation
on 31st March and provides somewhat altered powers and duties whereby, not only rats and mice,
but infestations of insects may be dealt with. The Council have a section specially formed and
manned for the purpose of dealing with infestations and this section made a total of 6,400
treatments in respect of rats and 3,500 in respect of mice.
Experience has shown that, in West Ham, contrary to experience in northern towns, rats
live in the sewers and are mostly found, so far as private houses are concerned, as a result
of defects in sewers or drainage. The large factories, food premises and dock warehouses of
course, come within a different category and call for different methods of treatment.
TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING
It is worthy of note that full advantage was taken of the damage by enemy action to
leave derelict large areas of the Borough concentrating all available labour and materials
on more worth-while properties, a process which, in due course, of time, left available for
reconstruction large tracts of land with an almost entire absence of properties standing
thereon which would, in the normal course, have ranked for compensation.
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