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Nuisance from smoke was reported in 36 vessels, and in 14 instances a Statutory
Notice was served on the Master.
The number of vessels fumigated for rat destruction under the supervision of
your Inspectors was 118, 72 by hydrogen cyanide and 46 by sulphur dioxide. By the
former method 879 rats and 34 mice, and by the latter 916 rats and 41 mice were
destroyed.
The average number of rats killed per fumigation was 15.2. If mice are taken
into consideration also, the average number of rodents destroyed per fumigation was
15.8. In addition, 4,968 rats were trapped in ships and 5,016 on shore in the port.
Intimation Notices were served in respect of nine cases of infringement of the
Bye-laws relating to Offensive Cargoes.
The number of water barges in use in the Port remained at 12. As in previous
years the annual re-registration of these water barges with the Port of London
Authority was made conditional upon the satisfactory report of your Officers as to
the fitness of the barges for the carriage of drinking water. These arrangements
continued to work smoothly.
Last year I reported that one of your launches, the "James Howell" was almost
worn out, and accordingly, towards the end of the year, your Worshipful Committee
decided to build a new launch suitable for the routine inspection of ships lying in
the Middle River District, but also capable of taking over the work of your boarding
launch "Howard Deighton" when she is laid up for overhaul or is for any other
reason temporarily out of commission. The new launch, which has been designed
by your Chief Engineer, Mr. Roberts, and which is being built by Messrs. James
Pollock, Sons & Co., Ltd., of Faversham, will have an overall length of 54 feet 9 inches,
a breadth of 12 feet, a draft of 4 feet 6 inches and a speed of 9f knots. She will
be driven by one 8 L.3 Gardner H.S. Diesel Engine of 136 b.h.p.
The launches "Howard Deighton" and "Frederick Whittingham" have given
very satisfactory service during the year, and the new "Hygeia" has been much
appreciated by your Boarding Medical Officers.
The Corporation of the City of London made a further grant of £1,000 from City's
Cash for the improvement of the grounds of your hospital at Denton. Unfortunately,
the long-continued wet weather has delayed the work, but the raising of the level
of the grounds will be completed as soon as it is possible to resume the tipping of
soil, and then the planting of trees and the laying out of flower beds can be undertaken.
During the year 3,288 tons of foodstuffs were condemned as unfit for human
consumption and were either destroyed or disposed of for industrial purposes.
The proportion of carcases of mutton examined for Caseous Lymphadenitis
remained at 5 per cent. throughout the year, while pieces of mutton continued to
be subjected to 100 per cent. examination. Evidence of this disease was found in
22 of the 9,062 carcases examined by your Inspectors. A proportion of frozen ox
tongues imported from South America was examined on arrival, the percentage
found to be affected with Actinobacillosis being 0.61.
In connection with the inspection of canned food your Medical Officer read a
paper at the Congress of the Royal Institute of Public Health and the Institute of
Hygiene on 29th May, 1936, which appears in full on pages 46 to 52 by courtesy of the
Editor of "The Journal of State Medicine."
The examination of canned sardines for lead contamination was continued during
the year. Samples from 51 consignments were analysed, the smallest amount of
lead found being 2 parts per million, the greatest amount being 28 parts per million,
and the average 9.7 parts per million. These figures compare favourably with the