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convenience and inadequate fresh water tanks. A written Intimation of
nuisance was served on the 8th October and the houseboat was vacated on the
13th of the same month® The houseboat sank a few days later and has since
been demolished.
In other cases where the defects were less severe but nevertheless
sufficient to render the houseboat an unsatisfactory dwelling, it has not always
been possible to secure either the closing of the accommodation, or any material
improvement in the conditions
The greatest single cause of insanitary conditions on board a houseboat
is a defective and leaky hull. Where the hull is leaky, water from the Creek
finds its way in during every high tide and out again during the period of low
water.
Over a period of months the constant flooding with creek water leaves a
thick deposit of evil smelling mud in the houseboat below the floor boards of
the accommodation which is most objectionable and unhealthy.
The second greatest trouble is distance from a supply of piped water.
Distances vary from under 20 yards to ¾ of a mile.
HOUSEBOAT BYE-LAWS.
The new houseboat bye-laws have been in draft for a number of years but
the housing shortage has rendered the more stringent requirements as regards
sanitation, accommodation and siting of houseboats impracticable and it is
indeed doubtful whether even if the houseboat bye-laws came into force, they
could be enforced. It is bad practice to pass legislation which is unlikely
to be accepted without considerable opposition, or successfully applied.
Housing shortage encourages persons to reside permanently on board
houseboats despite discomforts and difficulties because they have not found it
possible to obtain suitable accommodation ashore. The housing shortage makes
it virtually impossible for persons residing in a houseboat to obtain a house.
It should be borne in mind that the majority of the permanent residents in
houseboats in this area are of the lower income groups.
The purchase price of a houseboat which may be considered suitable for
"permanent" residence has varied from £75 for a small boat in rather poor
condition, to £500 for a larger boat in good condition® Thereafter there is
little expenditure on rates and on rent for a site. But there should also be a
considerable outlay on upkeep - much more proportionately than on a house.
This outlay on upkeep is often not forthcoming with the result that many
houseboats are deteriorating. It is pathetic to think that people of little
means are forced to incur an expenditure, which must make a heavy demand on
their savings, on a structure which is often barely habitable, has a very short
life and on which there is a constant and recurring outlay for maintenance,
repairs etc. Most of the houseboats are only worth a fraction of what is paid
for them.
Houseboats used for holidays only are not such a serious problem. A high
percentage of them are, from time to time, used for ''permanent" residence for
periods of many months, especially as quite high rents will be paid by
unfortunate families who have no where else to go.
PUBLIC HEALTH (SHELLFISH) REGULATIONS, 1934.
During the latter part of 1949 an outbreak of food poisoning in the Borough
of Southend-on-Sea and in some other localities in South East England which was
in part attributed to the consumption of shellfish which had been gathered in
the Thames Estuary, mainly within the district of the Port Health Authority,
resulted in a thorough investigation, in co-operation with the Medical Officer
of Health of Southend-on-Sea, into the gathering of cockles from the prohibited
areas and for the sterilization of such cockles as are intended for sale for
human consumption in an apparatus which is for the time being approved by the
Port Health Authority.
As a result of these investigations a "short term policy" was devised to
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