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SECTION 123 (Cleansing of verminous houses) requires a sanitary authority, on a
report from a district medical officer of health that any house or part of a
house in their district is infested with vermin, to serve a written notice on
the owner or occupier of the house or part of the house, requiring him to take
all such steps as may be necessary to eradicate the vermin. Failure to comply
with such a notice renders the person on whom the notice is served liable to a
fine and in default the Council may carry out the necessary work and recover
their expenses from the offender.
No notices were served under this section, but at the request and, in
appropriate cases, at the expense of owners or occupiers, the disinfestation of
527 verminous rooms in 278 houses was carried out.
SECTION 140 (Restrictions on carrying on of offensive businesses). The offensive
trades scheduled are Blood Boiler, Bone Boiler, Catgut Maker or Manufacturer,
Dresser of Fish Skins, Dresser of Fur Skins, Fell monger, Fat Melter or
Extractor, Glue and Size Manufacturer, Gut Scraper, Knacker, Manure Manufacturer,
Slaughterer, Soap Boiler, Tallow Melter, and Tripe Boiler. No person may
establish any of these trades without the consent of the Sanitary Authority.
London County Council By-laws made under Section 142 provide for the regulation
of the conduct of such businesses. The business of Fur Skin Dresser was
carried on at five premises and that of Poultry Slaughterer at two premises.
These premises were inspected frequently and no contravention of the relevant
by-laws was reported.
One application to establish anew the business of a slaughterer of poultry
was refused.
SLAUGHTERHOUSES
In 1939 there were eight slaughterhouses in Hackney, but slaughtering
was discontinued on and after the 15th January, 1940 by virtue of the operation
of the Livestock (Restrictions on Slaughtering) Orders made by the Minister of
Food in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by Regulation 55 of the
Defence (General) Regulations, 1939, which suspended the rights of slaughtering
for the purpose of "concentration of production".
As from the 29th June, as a result of the lifting of controls and the derationing
of meat, the Ministry of Food ceased to be responsible for the
slaughter of animals, and with effect from the 2nd July the recommencement of
private slaughtering was permitted. Applications for renewal of slaughterhouse
licences were received in respect of two premises. One of these applications
was withdrawn and in the other case the licence was refused on the
grounds that the premises were unsuitable.
There are now no slaughterhouses operating in the Borough.
SECTION 146 (Bylaws with respect to certain businesses). Powers for regulating
the conduct of the business of a vendor of fried fish, a fish-curer or a
rag and bone dealer are derived from the by-laws made by the London County
Council under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, but deemed by virtue of
Section 307 of the Act of 1936 to be made under Section 146 of that Act. With
regard to the business of rag and bone dealer, the relevant by-laws inter alia
prohibit the exchange of toys for rags. Additional powers are contained in
Section 26 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1952, which prohibits
any person dealing in rags, bones, old clothes or similar articles from
selling or delivering, whether gratuitously or not, any article of food or
drink to any person, or any article whatsoever to a child under the age of
fifteen years. There are 14 premises in which the business of rag and bone
dealer is carried on. An informal notice served in respect of insanitary
conditions found at one dealer's premises was followed by the service of a
formal notice, which was complied with.