View report page

PORT OF LONDON SANITARY OFFICES,
GREENWICH.
July, 1890.
TO THE WORSHIPFUL THE PORT OF LONDON SANITARY
Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit to you a report giving a brief account of the
work of your Officers during the first half of the present year.
During this period, 7,532 vessels have been visited and inspected, 1,160 of
which were lying in the river, 1,937 in the Gravesend or lower district, and
the remainder in the various docks.
Owing to the very serious dislocation of the shipping trade of the Port,
consequent upon the unhappy disputes with the dock labourers and others,
the work of your Officers has been carried on under great disadvantages and
with much additional trouble and friction. This is a point of view of the strike
question which would probably not be obvious to the onlooker, but which is
a real and serious trouble to those who are responsible for the sanitary
supervision of shipping. It also has an influence upon the work of your
officers from another cause ; dock authorities and ship owners have felt
seriously (in common with the labourers) the heavy losses consequent upon
the cessation of trade, and, in consequence, are not only unwilling but also
unable in some cases to carry out suggestions, involving expense, which,
although they are not absolutely necessary, and cannot therefore be legally
ordered, -still would tend materially to improve the sanitary condition of
vessels and the surroundings of our seamen.
Of the total number, 347 required some amount of cleansing to be carried
out (= 4\5 per cent.) This is about the usual average proportion.
6554 or 87 per cent, of the vessels thus inspected were of British
nationality—the Scandinavian with 394 (= 5-2 per cent.) being next in order
of numbers.
Sixteen vessels were fumigated on account of infectious disease (see
Appendix D.), and in five cases infected clothing sent home from abroad was
disinfected (see Appendix C.)
COMMITTEE.