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Bakehouses and Slaughterhouses— These have been frequently visited, inspected
and found generally clean and in good order.
Lodging Houses—The common lodging houses have been constantly visited by
night as well as by day. They are situated in Smith Hill has been closed as it was
structurally unfit for the, purpose. There have been occasional cases of overcrowding
but on the whole the business has been conducted decently and the houses have been
clean and well looked after. Several public houses in the town are practically common
lodging houses and some of them in case of fire can only be described as death
traps on account of their low doors, winding staircases and intricate passages.
Other Sanitary Work—This year as in previous years my energies have been
directed to improving the dwellings of the working classes. Old and dilapidated
cottages have been condemned. In some instances they have been permanently
closed, in others they have been reopened after having been satisfactorily repaired.
This policy will have to be continued for some years before all this class of property
is brought into a proper sanitary state. In getting rid of this class of house which is
let at a very low rental and generally inhabited by families earning low wages, it
must not be lost sight of that the families thus turned out have to seek lodgings in
larger and more modern houses and unless the strictest supervision is exercised overcrowding
and its attendant evils will ensue to a very large extent. If all houses let
in lodgings were registered the difficulties of the sanitary department would be very
much lessened. I would again call the attention of the Council to the danger of
allowing domestic animals to be housed in improperly drained and ill ventilated outbuildings.
Much has been done in previous years to prevent this serious nuisance
and it would be a pity to see the town gradually revert to a condition of things which
existed some years ago.
Isolation Hospital—I can again bear testimony to the excellent work done at
this institution. From the beginning to the end of the year everything has worked
smoothly and the results as seen by the accompanying table have been most satisfactory.
Although the pressure in the hospital accomodation has not been so great
as last year, still there have been many bad cases and it gives me great pleasure to
again speak of Nurse Ward in terms of the warmest praise.