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Canal Boats.— The Sanitary Inspectors continue their duties as canal boat inspectors, and made
34 inspections during the year.
Factories, Workplaces, etc.—The Factories Act placed on the Council certain duties in regard
to (a) outworkers; (b) employment of persons in unwholesome premises; (c) basement bakehouses;
(d) provision of sanitary conveniences in all factories, and (e) cleanliness, over-crowding, ventilation
and drainage of floors in the case of factories in which mechanical power is not used. A summary of
the work done is given below and in Table VIII.
Inspection of (a) Factories—mechanical power 767
(b) Factories—non-mechanical power 104
(c) Other premises 10
(d) Workplaces 56
(e) Outworkers' premises 277
Defects remedied 24
At the end of the year the number of outworkers registered with the Department was 189.
Mosquitoes.— No complaint of the presence of biting mosquitoes was received during the year.
Culex molestus, the biting mosquito that caused so much annoyance during 1939-46, appears to have
ceased to breed in the district. Householders, gardeners and allotment holders can do much to discourage
breeding of mosquitoes by attending to ponds, waterbuts, liquid manure pits, etc.
Disinfestation.— The Health Department deals with bug and other infestations in houses and
other premises, and for this purpose D.D.T. and other insecticides are used. During the year, 78 rooms
in 27 houses were treated, while eight wasp nests were destroyed, four premises cleared of cockroaches,
three cleared of ants, and three of carpet beetles. Treatment of ponds and tanks to prevent the breeding
of mosquitoes was carried out on 281 occasions.
Noise Nuisance.— In the Middlesex County Council Act a noise nuisance is deemed to exist
"where any person makes or continues or causes to be made or continued any excessive or unreasonable
or unnecessary noise which is injurious or dangerous to health." Further, it is a good defence for the
person charged to show "that he has used the best practicable means of preventing or mitigating the
nuisance, having regard to the cost and to other relevant circumstances." Most complaints of noise
nuisance arise in connection with industrial processes carried on in factories situated close to houses.
From the above definition it will be seen that many factors have to be taken into consideration in judging
whether or not a noise is a nuisance within the meaning of the Act, though there may be no doubt about
the annoyance to residents in the neighbourhood of the factory concerned. During the year, complaints
of nuisance due to noise were received in regard to two factories. Day and night observations were made
concerning these complaints, and in conjunction with the firms concerned, measures were taken to reduce
the noise as far as was practicable.
Rats and Mice Destruction, etc.—The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949, which came
into operation on 30th March, 1950, repealed the Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919. The responsibility
"to keep their area as far as practicable, free from rats and mice" is placed on the Council, and
occupiers of premises are required to give notice when they have knowledge that rats or mice are present
in substantial numbers. It is obligatory on the Council to recover the expenses reasonably incurred in
taking steps for the destruction of rats and mice on business premises, but permissive as far as the cost
of treating private dwellings is concerned. The Council has decided to make no charge for the treatment
of private dwelling-houses unless there is failure on the part of the owner or occupier to co-operate in
preventing infestation. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries may make to local authorities a grant
equal to one half of the expenditure incurred in the performance of their duties under the Act so far as
such expenditure has not been recovered.
No notification of the presence of rats or mice in substantial numbers has been received, but by
the visits of the Sanitary Inspectors and the Rodent Officer and complaints of "rats coming from next
door, no gross infestation should escape attention. The Council employs a Rodent Officer, who is
responsible for systematic inspection, planning of treatment, supervising the work of the rodent
operatives and checking results. A summary of the work done in recent years is shown below:—
1949 1950 1951 1952 1953
Complaints received 419 421 607 618 527
Block inspections 9 37 89 51 46
Individual inspections 2,862 2,574 3,150 4,441 4,192
Individual re-inspections 271 316 221 669 778
Other visits 408 402 438 614 654
Premises treated—
(a) By occupiers 71 25 19 41 7
(b) By Local Authority 848 882 743 1,075 930
Test baiting and where necessary, treatment is carried out to sewers, watercourses, tips, etc. By
w atever means rats and mice gain access to premises, their continued presence is due to conditions on
the premises, which provided food and/or shelter. Unless occupiers take the necessary precautions to
discourage rats, progress towards eradication will be slow.
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