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very difficult to induce people to keep their cisterns clean, they
are frequently found on inspection to contain deposit that has
been collecting for a long period, and occasionally we receive
complaints that the water supplied by the Company is unfit for
use; it is invariably found that the fault is in the cistern. If there
was a constant supply, this source of mischief would in a
measure be remedied.
I have, in company with the Inspector, made inspections of
the Bake-houses, Cow-sheds, Dairies, and Slaughter-houses.
The Bake-houses are kept in very good condition, and on
the whole very clean and well managed. There are several
underground, and some of these are remarkably well kept under
the circumstances, but the arrangement at the best is very unsatisfactory.
The Cow-sheds which are in use are, with one or two exceptions,
well constructed and well kept. There are very few
cows kept in the district at present, most of the milk is imported.
The Dairies are invariably clean and well managed.
A large proportion of the meat used in the district is procured
from the dead meat market.
The Slaughter-houses that are in use are generally found in
good condition and clean.
The diseases notified during the year corresponded almost
exactly in number with those of the preceding, they were ir3
for 1895, and 112 for 1894. There were not so many cases of
Scarlet Fever, but more of Diphtheria.
There were 52 cases of Scarlet Fever—23 in Mortlake and
29 in Barnes—one of which proved fatal from complications.
Forty-three cases of Diphtheria were notified—10 in Mortlake
and 33 in Barnes. An undue proportion occurred in the houses
comprising the Thome Estate; there were 10 deaths, four of
which were of children belonging to Mortlake, and six to Barnes.
All of the Barnes and one of the Mortlake cases were taken into
the Hospital; five were in a hopeless condition when admitted.