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125
the Local Government Board, and are now about to come
into operation.
"I explained at the time above referred to, that if the
regulations in regard to drainage were to be carried out
efficiently by your Inspectors, and at the same time their
other duties were not to be neglected, it would be absolutely
necessary largely to increase the sanitary staff; but that I
thought that instead of at once making the changes, the
need of which I foresaw, it would be well to wait for a time,
and only to determine on their nature and amount when we
should have learnt by experience our actual needs in this
respect.
"Sufficient experience has now accrued; and I feel it my
duty to place my views on the subject before you. We have
always found that, when the routine performance of sanitary
work has been interfered with (as has happened when some
of the Inspectors have been away in holiday time, or on
account of sickness, or when large prevalence of disease has
demanded special attention), the duty which has fallen into
abeyance has been that of systematic house-to-house inspection.
It is this duty which has mainly been neglected during
the last few months; and it is this, and the enforcement of
our regulations in regard to houses let in lodgings, which
must continue to be neglected unless a considerable addition
be made to the staff of Inspectors.
"There are between 30,000 and 40,000 houses in the
Parish, of which probably one half should be inspected
periodically. A few years ago our annual systematic inspections
amounted to about 10,000. During the last three or
four years, however, owing to our increased attention to