View report page

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 X.
Inspection of (a) Factories - mechanical power 460
(b) Factories - non-mechanical power 25
(c) Other premises 4
(d) Workplaces 7
(e) Outworkers' premises 74
Defects remedied 28
At the end of the year the number of outworkers registered with the Department
was 246 and the trades on which they were engaged were as follows:-
Wearing apparel 196
Lace, lace curtains and nets 2
Curtains and furniture hangings 13
Furniture and upholstery 2
Brass and brass articles 1
Artificial flowers 1
Carding, etc. of buttons, etc. 18
Stuffed toys 6
Cosaques, Christmas crackers, Christmas
stockings, etc. 6
Umbrellas, etc. 1
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, 63 rooms and 3 houses were treated, while 11 wasp nests were
destroyed, 10 premises cleared of cockroaches, 6 cleared of ants, and 14 of other
insects. Treatment of ponds and tanks to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes was
carried out as necessary.
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 10 complaints of nuisance from noise were received. All were
associated with factories or industrial premises. In most cases there appeared to be
some justification for the complaint and, with the co-operation of the users of the
factories, the nuisance was remedied in 7 cases and some abatement secured in the
others.
RATS AND MICE DESTRUCTION. etc. The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949
places the responsibility on the Council 'to keep their area as far as practicable,
free from rats and mice' and occupiers of premises are required to give notice when
they have knowledge that rats and 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.
17