View report page

7
PORT OF LONDON SANITARY OFFICES,
GREENWICH, S.E.,
August, 1888.
TO THE WORSHIPFUL THE PORT OF LONDON SANITARY
COMMITTEE.
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,
I have again the honour of presenting you with a brief report of the
sanitary work carried out in the Port of London during a period of six
months.
The figures are given in the Appendices, and, as usual, I shall limit my
remarks to those points which require special attention or explanation.
It will be seen that in all 9,693 vessels have been visited during the halfyear,
and that of these no fewer than 8,524 (equal 87.93 per cent.) of the total
number carried the British flag ; the next nationality in point of numbers
being the Scandinavian, with a total of 422 (equal 4.35 per cent.).
By far the larger number of these were found to be in a satisfactory
sanitary condition, and in only 676 (equal 6.9 per cent.) was it necessary to
order any cleansing or whitewashing to be carried out.
As heretofore, such orders when given verbally are, as a rule, promptly
attended to, and only in two instances was it necessary to serve the formal
notice under the Public Health Act, while in none was it required to carry
the matter any further.
So thoroughly does the question of cleanliness now seem to be understood,
that there is an actual spirit of rivalry among masters of vessels, especially
those of the same line, as to who shall have the cleanest and best appointed
forecastle.
In 16 cases only has fumigation been considered necessary (vide Appendix
C), and in all this was carried out gratuitously by your Inspectors.
In consequence of serious delay in this operation in one case, a formal order
is now served on the master of every vessel, when requisite, calling upon him,
under the powers of Section 120 of the Public Health Act, to fumigate the
vessel, or part thereof, within a definite specified time, and a note at the foot
of the order states that on the written request of the master such fumigation
will be carried out gratuitously by the Port Sanitary Authority.
In this way we are able to guard against delay, as a summons can be