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houses and the comparatively small number of persons to a house.
The vicinity of the marshes and Victoria Park to our inhabited
houses, and the existence of other open spaces in our midst
which cannot be built over, will, I trust, always go far to counteract
the ordinary effects of the increase in the number of our
population and houses. The number of small houses within which
the occurrence of infectious disease was reported to this department
was only 118, and in other houses 131, making a total of
249, which is less than usual. Most of the latter cases occurred
amongst servants and others residing in better class houses. The
number of houses on which nuisances were found was, as usual,
more than one-third of the 6,025, showing the value of a systematic
house to house inspection every year. In addition to
these, we received intimation of the existence of nuisances in
629 houses, so that only 26 per cent. of the nuisances in dwelling
houses were brought to our notice by complaint, and 74 per cent.
by inspection.
In the appendix will be found details of the various kinds of
nuisances abated during the year. These may be briefly described
as 1,113 nuisances arising from defective drainage, 529 of which
consisted of choked or defective drains. The number of houses
that were cleansed, whitewashed and repaired, amounted to 2,278;
of houses in which the water supply apparatus to the closets was
improved or repaired was 557 ; of yards in which the paving was
relaid, 236; and where new dust-bins were provided, 236 ; making
a total of 2,838 nuisances abated in houses or in the adjoining
yards and water-closets. There were 24.9 houses disinfected;
30 cases of overcrowding abated; 201 accumulations (excluding
dust) of stable manure, vegetable matter, &c., removed; and 459
other nuisances removed. To effect this, as many as 6,004 notices
were served and letters written, and 31 summonses were taken
out. In addition to these there were 86 cowsheds inspected,
most of them on several oc-asions; 49 slaughter-houses, 262
greengrocers, fishmongers, and poulterer's yards inspected, and
also 178 bakehouses. In connection with these, I desire to state