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steps taken to carry into effect the provisions of Part X of the Public Health
Act, 1936, relating to Canal Boats within the district of the Port Health
Authority, during the year ended 31st December, 1950.
Eight boats were inspected during the year. Three vessels were found to
conform with the Regulations and the remaining five infringed the Regulations in
that the Registration Certificate was not on board. The owners attention was
called to this matter.
No new boats were registered during the year under review, the actual
number of Canal Boats on the Register on the 31st December, 1950, being 156.
PARROTS (PROHIBITION OF IMPORT) REGULATIONS, 1930.
The number of notices issued in accordance with the above-mentioned
Regulations during the year was 40 in respect of 50 birds of the parrot family.
Forty-seven birds were re-exported and 2 were destroyed under the supervision
of your officers.
One bird, in respect of which a notice had been issued, was found, on a
subsequent visit to the ship by one of your officers, to be missing, and was the
subject of the legal proceedings mentioned below.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
On the 29th August your Inspectors in the Royal Albert Dock reported that
on the arrival of the ss "Durban Castle" in London on the 17th August a Notice
was served on a member of the crew requiring the re-export of a parrot which
he owned. A signed guarantee was then received from the owner undertaking to
re-export the bird on the departure, of the ship from London.
On a subsequent visit to the ship your Inspectors found that the bird
was missing and enquiries showed that the owner had left the parrot in the
care of another member of the crew who, it was alleged, has allowed the bird
to e s cape.
In view of the fact that the owner had given a guarantee to re-export the
bird and, moreover, had been warned by your Inspectors of his obligations
under the Parrots Regulations, your Medical Officer felt that the papers should
be handed over to Mr. Comptroller & City Solicitor with a view to taking
legal proceedings.
The case was heard at the Greenwich Magistrate's Court on the 4th September
and was dismissed.
HOUSEBOATS AND HOUSEBOAT BYE-LAWS.
The routine inspection of houseboats moored in the Upper Reaches of the
Thames and also particularly in the Benfleet area, continued throughout the year
under review.
While the number of houseboats condemned and abandoned should, it had been
hoped, have caused a reduction in the houseboat population, as the result of
action taken by the Southend Corporation they were more than replaced by boats
which could no longer occupy a berth in the Southend area and therefore had to
move elsewhere.
As the result of action taken by the Port. Health Authority, six
uninhabitable houseboats were vacated and demolished during the year«
One of the major problems in dealing with houseboats is the lack of control
in respect of new arrivals and new construction.
For instance , a houseboat arrived at Benfleet on the 1st October, 1950
having on board 4 adults and 2 children. She was moored in a position ¾ of a
mile.from a supply of fresh water and an inspection on the 2nd October revealed
a seriously defective and leaky hull, leaky accommodation, no sanitary
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