Library ubar 20 URBAN DISTRICT 0F BARNET ANNUAL REPORT of the ACTING MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH to the BARNET URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL by ARTHUR L, HYATT, M.R.C.S.(Eng.), L.R.C.P. Together with the ANNUAL REPORT of the CHIEF SANITARY INSPECTOR by JOHN B. WILSON, M.S.I.A., M.R.San.I. 1952. (2) BARMET URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL, MEDICAL OFFICER'S REPORT Public Health Department, 31 Wood Street, Barnet. To the Chairman and Members of the Barnet Urban District Council, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have much pleasure in presenting to you my Annual Report on the health of the District for the year 1952. It is drawn up on the lines indicated in Circular 42/51 of the 10th December, 0.951 - as requested by the Ministry of Health, in Circular 2/53- STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE AREA Area (in acres) 4,290 Population (1931 Census) 15,064 Registrar-General's Estimate of Resident Population, mid 1952 24,920 Number of Inhabited Houses 7,282 Rateable Value £265,767 Product of a Penny Rate £1,080 NATURAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS The population is largely residential, and consist? chiefly of people whose occupation lies outside the urban area. Those employed in the district, apart from the tradesmen and their employees, are mainly skilled workers at dental manufacturing, lithographic, printing and optical works, EXTRACT FROM VITAL AND MORTAL STATISTICS OF THE YEAR. Total. M. F Live Births (Legitimate 327 188 139 (Illegitimate 21 5 16 Birth Rate per 1,000 of the estimated resident population (standardised): 12,84 Total. M. F. Still Births (Legitimate 2 2 Nil (Illegitimate Nil Nil Nil Still Birth Rate per 1.000 total (live and still) Births: 5.71 (3) Total. M. F. Deaths 253 122 131 Death Rate per 1.000 of the estimated resident population (standardised): 9.95 Death Rate from Puerperal causes per 1.000 total (live and still) Births: Nil Deaths of Infant under one year of age - Total. M. F. Legitimate 12 6 6 Illegitimate 1 Nil 1 Death Rate of Infants under one year of age per 1,000 live Births: 37.36 Deaths of Infants under four weeks of age.- Total. M. F. Legitimate 7 3 4 Illegitimate 1 Nil 1 Death Rats of Infants under four weeks of age per 1.000 live Births: 22.99 Too much importance should not be paid to the rates where the actual number of cases is, small, e.g. - below 10, as such rates are of little statistical significance. Thus, if an attempt is made to compare this area with other districts, or with previous years, it would be better to compare actual cases. GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES FOR THE DISTRICT.. The Council are not the appropriate Local Authority for the purpose of the National Health Service Act, 1946, and do not therefore control any of the Hospitals: or ancillary services in the District. Within this District, and under the control of the Barnet Group Hospital Management Committee, are the following:- Barnot General Hospital, Wellhouse Lane, Barnet, 478 Beds. St. Stephen's Hospital, Mays Lane, Barnet- 88 Beds. (Female medical, Ear, Nose and Throat, and male long-stay cases) Victoria Maternity Hospital, Wood Street, Barnet. 48 Beds. "Elm Bank", Arkley. (Female long-stay cases) 27 Beds. The following is a. list of Clinics etc, available in the District. Tuberculosis Clinics are held daily, by appointment, at Barnet Chest Clinic, Wellhouse Lane, Barnet. At Vale Drive, there is a Clinic for Schoolchildren every Monday morning and a Clinic for Remedial Exercises on Monday afternoons, A Speech Therapy Clinic is held on Wednesdays and Fridays, Child Guidance Clinic on Thursdays, and an Eye Clinic on Wednesdays when an Orthoptist (4) attends.. An Infant Welfare Clinic is held every Tuesday afternoon and also on the first and third Fridays in each month. Dental Clinics are held daily and on Saturday mornings. These Clinics are subject to alteration and it is advisable to enquire of the Vale Drive Clinic (BAR: 6194) for the current days and times. Home Helps Service. The local office of the Herts County Council Home Helps Service at No. 31 Wood Street, Barnet, is open daily from 11 - 12 noon, Monday to Friday inclusive. PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF. Acting Medical Officer of Health. Ø x Arthur L. Hyatt, M.R.C.S.(Eng.), L.R.C.P. Chief Sanitary Inspector. + Ø John Baillie Wilson, M.R.San.I., M.S.I.A. Additional Sanitary Inspector. Ø Howard W. C. Alloway, A.R.San.I., M.S.I.A. One Clerk-Typist. One Rodent Operative. + Holds the special qualification as Inspector of Meat and other Foods under examination of the Royal Sanitary Institute, Ø Salary Contribution of one half from Exchequer Grants. x Part-time Officer. WATER SUPPLY The major area of the District is supplied with water from the mains of the Barnet District Water Company, and the remainder is served by the Colne Vailey Water Company. All water supplied by the Barnet District Water Company is chlorinated. A pathological staff is maintained and the water is regularly tested at all stages. During the year, a total of 199 Chemical and 1,455 Bacteriological examinations of the water were made by the Company's own staff. 1,240 of those samples were representative of the supply and 98.6 were found to be free from B.Coli. Five samples of water were taken by the Department and submitted for analysis with satisfactory results, coliform organisms being absent in 100 milliiitres in each case. (5) The Colne Valley Water Company exercises constant supervision, and members of the staff are on duty day and night throughout the year examining samples. All the water supplied by this Company is chlorinated. The water supply is satisfactory both from the Chemical and Bacteriological aspects. The water supply to the whole district is considered adequate, and all houses are supplied by these companies mains. DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE. The town is drained and sewered on the separate system, excepting the older portions of the district where it is a combined system. The sewage is conveyed to an Irrigation Farm of 56 acres, but before it is turned on the land it is screened and treated by means of detritus and sedimentation tanks, and three rotary filters. Pumping is necessary for three sewers which have their outlets at a low point on the farm. Part of the Totteridge area drains to the Finchley Borough sewers; in the outlying areas some properties are on cesspool drainage or domestic sewage disposal plants, and a few only have pail closets. SANITARY CONDITIONS AND WATER SUPPLY OF SCHOOLS. » There are in the district fourteen schools administered by the South Herts Divisional Education Executive Committee, viz- Queen Elizabeth's Boys and Girls Grammar Schools; Ravenscroft Secondary Modern School, Foulds School (Junior Mixed and Infants Departments) Christ Church School for Infants Christ Church School for Girls; Christ Church School for Juniors; The Elizabeth Allen Secondary Modern School; Grasvenor Infants School; Uderhill School (Junior Mixed), Underbill School (Infants), St. Andrew's Church of England School (Junior Mixed and Infants Departments), St, Catherine's Roman Catholic School (Senior Girls, Junior Mixed and Infants Departments) and Whitings Hill School (Junior Mixed and Infants Departments). The Further Education Centre, Technical Institute, Wood Street, Barnet, is available for Girls and Boys between the ages of 15 and 18. (6) All schools in the district are supplied with mains water and are connected to the Council's main drainage system, DISPOSAL OF HOUSE REFUSE. The house refuse is collected weekly in covered mechanical conveyances and conveyed to the Council's Sewage Farm, where it is loaded into Contractor's covered lorries and disposed of daily by controlled tipping outside the district. PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE. The following table shews the number of Notifications to the Sanitary Authority during the year, of each disease specified in the Public Health Act, 1936, and the various Infectious Diseases Regulations, and the number of cases removed to Hospitals:- DISEASE NOTIFIED REMOVED TO HOSPITAL Scarlet Fever 45 16 Whooping Cough 91 4 Diphtheria and Membranous Croup Nil Nil Measles 40 2 Acute Pneumonia 7 5 Meningococcal Infection 4 4 Acute Poliomyelitis (Paralytic) 3 3 " " (Non-Paralytic) 2 2 Acute Encephalitis 1 1 Dysentery 3 Nil Ophthalmia Neonatorum l 1 Puerperal Pyrexia 30 30 Smallpox Nil Nil Paratyphoid B. 1 1 Food Poisoning 7 5 Erysipelas 2 2 Typhoid Fever 1 1 Tuberculosis 28 14 TOTALS 266 91 (7) AGE INCIDENCE OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE. DISEASE \ NUMBER OF CASES NOTIFIED YEARS OF AGE 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 10- 15- 25- 45- 65- 75- Total Scarlet Fever - - 2 5 3 32 2 - 1 - - - - Whooping Cough 2 3 3 15 10 50 5 1 1 - 1 - - Measles 1 1 3 5 9 14 4 1 2 - - - 40 Acute Pneumonia - - - - - 1 - - 2 2 - 2 7 Meningococcal Infection 1 1 - - - - - - 1 - 4 Acute Poliomyelitis - (Paralytic) i __ 2 _ - _ 3 (Non-Paralytic) - - I - - - - l - - - - 2 Acute Encephalitis 1 - - - - - - - - - - - 1 Dysentery - - - - - 1 - - 1 1 - - 3 Ophthalmia Neonatorum 1 - - - - - - - - - - - 1 Puerperal Pyrexia - - - - - - - 7 23 - - - 30 Paratyphoid B - - - - - - - 1 - - - - 1 Food Poisoning - - - - - - - 1 3 3 - - 7 Erysipelas - - - - - - - - - 2 - - 2 Typhoid Fever - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 TOTALS 6 5 9 26 23 99 11 12 35 19 1 2 238 Of the foregoing, the following cases normally resident outside the district were notified from the Barnet General. Hospital and the Victoria Maternity Hospital:- Whooping Cough 4; Measles 1, Meningococcal Infection 3; Acute Poliomyelitis (Paralytic) 2, (Non-Paralytic) 1$ Ophthalmia Neonatorum 1; Puerperal Pyrexia 23, Food Poisoning 2, Typhoid Fever 1. The cases of Tuberculosis removed for treatment are usually sent to Clare Hall, South Mimms, or Grim's Dyke, Harrow Weald Sanatoria) other patients Vvdth an infectious disease being sent to Coppett's Wood Hospital, Muswell Hill, N.10. The Case Rates, of certain diseases, per 1,000 of the population for (8) the district are as follows, with the rates for England and Wales shown in parenthesiss- Scarlet Fever 1.8l (1.53); Whooping Cough 3.49 (2.6l), Measles 1.56 (8.86); Acute Pneumonia 0.28 (0.72)5 Meningococcal Infection 0.04 (0.03), Food Poisoning 0.20 (0.13), Erysipelas 0.08 (0.14) . As mentioned earlier in this report, where the number of cases is less than, say,10, case rates are of little statistical value for comparison purposes. Of the two cases of Poliomyelitis notified within the district, the paralytic case was a mild one which recovered satisfactorily and so far as could be ascertained had no connection with any other known cases. The other patient, non-paralytic, contracted the disease outside this district. VACCINATION. No primary or revaccinations were performed by the Medical Officer of Health under the Public Health (Smallpox Prevention) Regulations, 1917. TUBERCULOSIS. NEW CASES AND MORTALITY DURING 1952. YEARS OF AGE. NEW CASES DEATHS Pulmonary Non-Pulmonary Pulmonary Non-Pulmonary M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. 0 — — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — 5 — — — 1 — — — — 15 1 3 — 1 — — — — 25 3 5 — 2 — — — — 35 2 l 1 2 1 — — — 45 2 2 — 1 1 1 — — 55 — — — — 2 1 — — 65 — — — — - - — — 75 and over — — — — - - — — TOTALS 9 11 1 7 4 2 — — (9) The Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1952, which came into operation in May 1952, rescinded an earlier Regulation which required the local Medical Officer of Health to keep a register of all Tuberculous patients, shewing the movements of local cases, Notification of the disease is still required, and as suggested by the Minister of Health the local register is being maintained as the information contained therein may be useful for local purposes. There were no cases of wilful neglect or of refusal to notify Tuberculosis in any form. PUBLIC HEALTH (PREVENTION OF TUBERCULOSIS) REGULATIONS. 1925. It has not been found necessary to take any action under the above Regulations, relating to Tuberculous employees in the Milk Trade. PUBLIC HEALTH ACT. 1936. SECTION 172. COMPULSORY REMOVAL TO HOSPITAL OF CASES OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS, Mo action was necessary under the above Section. NATIONAL ASSISTANCE ACT, 1948, - SECTION 47. No official action has been taken under this Act to secure the removal, to suitable premises, of persons in need of care and attention, MORTAL STATISTICS Of 253 deaths, 13 occurred under one year of age, The following were the chief causes of death,- Heart Diseases 89; Cancer 46 (22 males and. 24 females); Vascular Lesions of nervous system 35; Bronchitis 9; Pneumonia (all forms) 15; Tuberculosis 6; Motor vehicle accidents Nil, Other accidents 3. SCABIES (PUBLIC HEALTH) NO, 1 ORDER. 1944, Only one case of Scabies was notified during the year and this case, an adult, was treated at home. I am, Yours faithfully, ARTHUR L. HYATT, M.R.C.S, (Eng.,), L.R.C.P. ACTING MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH. (10) BARNET URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL. CHIEF SANITARY INSPECTOR'S REPORT. Public Health Department, 31 Wood Street, Barnet. To the Chairman and Members of the Barnet Urban District Council. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present to you my Annual Report giving details of the work of the Department during the year 1952 in administering the various Acts, Regulations and Byelaws in force in the district. There has been a reduction in the number of complaints, received during the year, concerning the condition of houses. This is no doubt due In the main to two factors, namely (l) that war damage repairs are almost complete, and (2) that tenants, realising that their rents are controlled at a low level compared with present day values, are themselves doing many of the smaller items of repair. An interesting addition to our work this year has been some six requests from students for information on the duties of the department, They have all appeared to be most interested in the score of our work and I have felt that the hour or so which has been given to each has been well spent to the benefit of the Local Government service and of the young citizen of tomorrow. INSPECTION OF DISTRICT. General Inspections of the district have been carried out periodically and all complaints investigated. The process of serving a preliminary or intimation notice upon the person in default, specifying the works necessary to remedy the defects found, is usually followed. It was found necessary to ask your authority to serve only nineteen Statutory Notices, where persons failed to comply with the preliminary notice, or the strict legal procedure was necessary in the first instance. (11) SANITARY INSPECTION OF AREA. The following is a list of the number and nature of visits and inspections Visits res nuisance and sanitary defects 1508 Visits re: infectious diseases 259 Visits and inspections under Petroleum Acts 106 Visits to factories 64 Visits to outworkers' premises 29 Visits to food manufactories, cafes etc 272 Visits re: ice cream and. sampling 16l Visits re: overcrowding 38 Visits to inspect meat and other foods 201 Visits to Schools. 6 Visits re: pollution of watercourses 136 Visits to Tents, Caravans and Sheds 135 Visits under Shops Act 22 Visits re: keeping of animals 73 Visits re; Rodent Infestations 2244 Visits re: other infestations 8l Miscellaneous visits 131 NUMBER OF NOTICES SERVED DURING YEAR. Number of Informal Notices 122 Number of Statutory Notices 19 Informal Notices complied with 118 Statutory Notices complied with 15 SANITARY WORK AND REPAIRS. The following is a list of repairs effected as a result of informal and formal notices served:- Roofs repaired and made weatherproof 27 Gutters, downspouts repaired or renewed 34 Exterior brickwork repaired or repointed 17 Walls, dampness remedied 2o Chimney stacks and pots repaired or renewed 12 Yard surfaces repaired or repaved 2 Ceilings repaired or renewed 32 Wall plaster repaired or renewed 17 Wails and ceilings cleansed and decorated 41 Floors repaired or renewed 11 Sub-floor ventilation rectified 3 Doors and frames repaired or renewed 11 Windows repaired 32 Stair treads and balusters repaired 19 Fireplaces repaired or renewed 8 Drains cleared 43 Drains repaired or reconstructed 30 Inspection chambers repaired or reconstructed 22 Soil or vent pipes repaired or renewed 6 Gullies, channels and fenders repaired or renewed 19 Water Closet pans, fittings, repaired or renewed 27 (12) Sinks, waste pipes, etc., repaired or renewed 16 Storage cisterns, cleaned, repaired or renewed 8 Water services, repaired, renewed or re-instated 10 Dustbins renewed 7 Refuse accumulations removed 10 Animals and fowls: nuisance from improper keeping 6 HOUSING ACT. 1936. One house was reported to the Council as being unfit for human habitation and incapable of repair at a reasonable expense. These premises form part of a long terrace: demolition is impracticable for the time being, and the owner gave an undertaking that the house will not be used for human habitation, The demolition of four houses was effected, proceedings in these cases having been commenced prior to the year under review. One further house, the subject of a demolition order made it the close of 1951, was vacated during this year, under rehousing arrangements made by the Council. The actual demolition is being held over pending redevelopement of the site. Ten houses were reported in error instead of nine to be overcrowded at the end of 1951. Of these nine, at the end of this year five families had been rehoused by the Council or otherwise, leaving four still on the list. PUBLIC HEALTH ACT. 1936. INFECTIOUS DISEASE. INVESTIGATION AMD DISINFECTION, Investigations have been carried out of the more important cases of infectious disease listed in the Medical Officer of Health's Report, and fortytwo premises were disinfected. Where necessary, bedding is taken for disinfection to the Barnet General Hospital under arrangements made with the Barnet Group Hospital Management Committee. One hundred and seventy three library book-: were disinfected before return to libraries. CLEAN FOOD. Informal action by way of discussion with managers and staff was taken whenever possible and necessary during the more than six hundred visits, for various purposes to food shops in the district. (13) Notices were distributed to sipps for display therein requesting customers not to bring dogs into shops. These notices were well received and additional copies and replacements have been supplied.. Clean Food Leaflets were placed on the public counters in the Council offices for distribution to housewives. During the year the advice of the department was sought and given in the design of a cafe kitchen which was to be rebuilt and enlarged. The work now completed is a credit to the cafe proprietor. FOOD POISONING. Annual Return of Food Poisoning Notifications. Food Poisoning Notifications (Corrected) Returned to Registrar General. 1st Quarter. 2nd Quarter. 3rd Quarter, 4th Quarter. Total. Deaths. Nil. Nil 5 2 7 Nil Outbreaks Due- to Identified Agents. Total Outbreaks, Nil Total cases. Nil Outbreaks of undiscovered cause Total Outbreaks. Nil Total cases. Nil Single co.ses. 7 Agent Identified 3 Unknown Cause 4 Total 7 Although there is a slight decrease in the number of notifications of food poisoning i.e., from 10 last year to 7 this year, there is a difference in their composition. Last year the 10 eases were related to 2 incidents or outbreaks, whereas this year the 7 notifications are individual cases, not related in any way and apparently with no other persons suffering. As is usual with individual cases it is most difficult,owing to delay in the onset of symptoms and to other circumstances,to trace the source of the infection. For example, two cases were men who had brought sandwiches for their mid-day meal. Both were violently sick within 2-3 hours of eating their sandwiches, and no causative organism was identified. In a third case the organism was identified, but the patient was a commercial traveller whose movements covered a wide area and variety of places. In yet another case, the patient attended a "social evening" and ate food (14) prepared by various people and "pooled". No samples of food were obtainable, but even if some had been available it would have been most difficult to trace who made and handled it. Most of these cases of food poisoning are undoubtedly due to lack of hand washing by persons preparing food. As mentioned in previous annual reports, and during the course of inspections and visits to food preparing premises, the importance of hand washing can never be over emphasised. If this habit can be instilled into the growing generation we shall have advanced a step forward in clean food preparation, but efforts must still be made to impress upon the present generation that whether in the home, canteen, shop, etc., hand washing is a vital factor in the prevention of ill health and disease. ICE CREAM.. 142 Samples of ice cream were taken during the year with the following results:- Manufacturer. Grade I. Grade II. Grade III. Grade IV. Total. A 11 15 7 — 33 B £) 16 — - 37 C 7 4 3 3 17 D 2 7 — — 9 E 4 5 l 4 14 F 5 6 l — 12 G 5 l 4 — 10 H — 1 _ — 1 K 7 - 2 — 5 L 2 — 2 — 4 Total 59 55 21 7 142 There are no manufacturers of ice cream in the district. The results of the tests on the samples are given to the shopkeepers, and any unsatisfactory reports are followed up with the authority in whose area the ice cream is made and with the manufacturer direct. By the end of the year Manufacturer "E" was not supplying in this area. (15) From the number of samples taken by this department, it appears that the small manufacturer has the greater difficulty in maintaining s high standard of bacterial purity. DAIRIES. COWSHEDS AND MIlKSHOPS. The control of the production of milk is now vested in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The local authority is responsible for the inspection and registration of milk distributors and other dairy premises not directly concerned with the actual production of milk, and for licensing for the sale of Designated Milks. This district is within the London area which was designated, as from 1st October, 1951, a "Specified Area" under an Order made by the Minister of Food. This Order is enforced by the Hertfordshire County Council as the Food and Drugs Authority for the area. Briefly, the Order prohibits the retail sale of any raw ungraded milk in a specified area; only milk from tested herds or heat treated milks may be sold by retail. Forty-three samples of milk have been taken, in course of delivery to the consumer, and submitted to the appropriate tests with the following results Designation SamplesTaken Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Tuberculin Tested. 1 1 Nil Tuberculin Tested. (Pasteurised). 4 4 Nil Tuberculin Tested (Farm Bottled) 2 2 Nil Tuberculin Tested (Farm Bottled) (Channel Islands) 2 2 Nil Pasteurised. 24 22 2 Pasteurised (Homogenized) 3 3 Nil Pasteurised (Channel Islands). 6 6 Nil Sterilised. l 1 Nil TOTALS 43 41 2 (16) The two unsatisfactory samples of Pasteurised milk were obtained from the same dealer. The laboratory reports indicated that, either, (1) the milk was not heal treated in accordance with the Regulations, or (2) that raw milk had been mixed with Pasteurised milk, This matter was taken up with the dealer who obtains the Pasteurised milk in bulk and bottles it on his own premises. Our enquiries led us to believe that owing to pressure of work due to illness amongst some of the staff, Pasteurised milk was put through the bottling plant after raw milk without the plant being washed through as required by the Regulations. Farther samples proved satisfactory. No official action was taken under Regulation 20 of the Milk and Dairies Regulations 1949, to stop or restrict the sale of milk. Ho cases of disease were notified which could be attributed to the consumption of infected milk. Two samples of milk submitted for biological examination were reported positive to brucella abortus. The two farms concerned were visited: it was fcund that no milk was sold by retail and that all milk was already being despatched to local plants for pasteurisation. Nine Dealer's Licences and twenty-one Supplementary Licences were granted for the retail sale of milk under the Milk (Special Designation)(Raw Milk) Regulations, 1949 and 1950, and the Milk (Special Designation)(Pasteurised and Sterilised Milk) Regulations, 1949 and 1950, viz:- Designation. Dealer's Licences. Supplementary Licences. Tuberculin Tested. 3 7 Pasteurised. 3 7 Sterilised. 3 7 (17) MEAT AND FOOD CONDEMNED. The following is a list of the articles of food condemned as unfit for human consumption during the year. Meat. Fresh Meat. Beef (English and Scotch) 88 lbs. " (Imported) 3 lbs. Pork (English) 14½ lbs. Lamb and Mutton (Irish) 34 lbs. Offals 84 lbs. Bacon 14 lbs. Sausages (Beef) 31 lbs. „ (Pork) 5¼ lbs. Pork Pie 1 lbs. Canned Meat. Veal 120 lbs. Pork 90 lbs. Stewed Steak 19 lbs. Ham (Imported) 111¾ lbs. Luncheon Meat 207 lbs. Braised Hearts 1¾ lbs. Tongue 1¾ lbs. Fish. Plaice 1 stone. Roes l½ stone. „ 8 tins. Brisling 16 tins. Herrings and Sardines 6 tins. Crab, Lobster & Shrimps 4 tins. Fruit. Cherries 213 jar? & tins. Apples 305 tins. Apricots 84 jars & tins. Plums 53 jars & tins. Miscellaneous 67 jars & tins. Fruit Salad 15 jars. Oranges 27 tins. Prunes 32 lbs. Figs 45 lbs. Dates 7 pkts. Fruit Pies (Individual) 3. Vegetables and Cereals. Beans 16 tins. Peas 37 tins. Tomatoes 113 tins. Carrots 4 tins. Beetroot 3 tins. Vegetables (Miscellaneous) 8 tins. Rice 5¾ lbs. Flour 6 lbs. Groceries. Cheese 132 lbs. Sugar 2 lbs. Ground Almonds 2 lbs. Sweets & Chocolates 137½ lbs. Milk 29 tins. Soup 21 tins. Jam & Marmalade 30 jars & tins. Mincemeat 4 jars & tins. Paste & Spreads 7 jars & tins. Cake & Custard Powders 12 pkts & tins. Jelly & Gelatine 7 pkts & tins. Pickles & Sauces 43 bottles & jars. FOOD AND DRUGS ACT. 1938 These sections of the above Act concerning sampling of food-stuffs for adulteration and sophistication are enforced by the County Authority in this district. (18) The following details shew the number and nature of the samples taken in the Urban District of Barnet during the year, and the results of the analyses. Article. No. of Samples Taken. Genuine. Adulterated. Milks 20 20 — Pork Sausages 3 3 — Beef Sausages 2 2 — Fish cakes 1 1 — Jam 2 2 — Marmalade 1 1 — White Pepper 1 1 — Ice cream 2 2 — Potatoes 2 2 — Total 34 34 — In view of the Ministry of Health suggestions that samples should be taken on the ratio of 3 per 1,000 of the population the number taken in this district could with advantage still be increased, particularly having regard to the fact that Barnet, as a shopping centre, serves a greater number of people than the resident population. PRIVATE SLAUGHTER-HOUSE USES AND SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS ACT. 1933. Since Food Rationing was introduced the Private Slaughter-houses in the district, three in number, have been closed, meat rationing being more easily organised and administered from one abbatoir supplying a large area than from a number of small slaughter-houses in each district. It is doubtful whether these small private slaughter-houses will again be permitted to function. There are ten persons licensed by the Council as fit persons to slaughter animals. These slaughtermen, although licensed by this Authority, work outside the district. No complaint has been received from the districts in which they work concerning the conduct of any of these men. DRAINAGE. One cesspool serving six cottages, and one domestic sewage disposal plant vera dispensed with by connecting the drainage of the properties to the Council's sewer. Drainage works,to obviate pollution of surface water sewers and ditches, (19) were required and executed at eight properties, and the drains of eleven premises were found to be defective and were reconstructed under supervision of the department. REPORT REQUIRED BY SECTION 128 OF THE FACTORIES ACT. 1977. Inspections for purpose of provisions as to health. Number on Register. Number of Inspections. Written Notices. Occupiers Prosecuted. (l) Factories in which Sees. 1,2,3,4 and 6 are to be enforced by Local Authorities. 7 9 — — (2) Factories not included in (l) in which Sec. 7 is enforced by the Local Authority. 71 46 1 — (3) Other premises in which Sec. 7 is enforced by the Local Authority. 8 9 — — Total 86 64 1 — It was necessary to require cleansing of the sanitary accommodation of one factory which was duly carried out, and to require the provision of sanitary accommodation at a further factory. This latter work had not been executed by the end of the year. Outworkers (Sections 110 and 111). Section 110. Section 111. No of outworkers on lists received. No. of instances of work in unwholesome premises. Notices Served. 82 — — In addition to the above, fifteen outworkers' premises were visited. Three certificates as to means of escape in case of fire were issued under Section 34 of the Act during the year, in one case after provision of a new external iron staircase. (20) HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL ACT. 1935. Provision is made in this Act for the conduct and regulation of:- (1) Tents, Caravans and Sheds; (2) Hairdressers' and Barbers' Premises; (3) Swimming Baths and Pools, and (4) Employment Agencies. Tents, Caravans and Sheds. Two individual caravan sites were approved during the year subject to compliance with the requirements of the Act. The extension of the privately owned multiple caravan site on the Barnet Bye-Pass was the subject of legal action by way of appeal against the Council's conditions attaching to the permission given under the Herts County Council Act. The Court upheld the Council's conditions with respect to drainage and refuse receptacles and collection thereof but found that hardcore and clinker standings were sufficient in lieu of concrete. The vans attending the Barnet Fair were visited to enquire as to any infectious diseases and as to their sanitary condition. The provision of temporary sanitary accommodation was required in different sections of the fair for the use of the caravnnners and public, and regular removal of refuse was arranged. Hairdressers' and Barbers' Premises. The Council made Bye-laws for securing the cleanliness of these premises in 1937. There are fifteen such establishments in the district. No complaints were received concerning their cleanliness or conduct nor were any serious breaches of the Bye-laws noted during inspections of such premises. Public Swimming Baths and Bathing Pools. The only swimming pool in the district, viz, at "The Barn", Barnet ByPass, is not now in use. Employment Agencies. Prior to the war there were four employment agencies in the district. These, however, are no longer in existence owing to the control of labour and it seems unlikely they will be started up again. (21) RODENT CONTROL, Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949. A full time rodent operator is employed for treatment of infestations of rats and mice. The table below gives details of the work carried out during the year:- Type of Property. Local Authority Dwelling Houses Agri- cultural All other (including Business and Industrial) Total 1. Total number of properties in District. 24 7013 24 732 7793 2. Number of properties inspected during 1952 as a result (a) of notificration or (b) otherwise. (a) 4 147 — 14 165 (b) 2 412 — 35 449 3. Number of properties (under 2) found to be infested by rats. Major - 1 — l 2 Minor 4 278 — 14 296 4. Number of properties found to be seriously infested by mice. — — — 1 1 5. Number of infested properties (under 3 and 4) treated by the Local Authority. 4 279 — 15 298 6. Number of "block" control schemes carried out 67 No notices were served under Section 4 of th- Act, requiring the execution of works, in connection with infestations, but three informal notices, requiring removal of accumniulations harbouring rats and two informal notices requiring wiring protection round corn ricks during threshing, were served and complied with. A test bait was made of 10% of the soil sever manholes in the district, from the results of which are based the two maintenance treatments of the sewers, required by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as one of the conditions under which the Ministry pay 50% of the Council's rodent control expenses. This year, the number of manholes poisoned in these maintenance treatments was 15 and 32 as compared with 13 and 24 manholes poisoned in the treatments carried out during the previous year. The closeness of the fig-ares would appear to indicate that there will be no startling reductions in sewer rat infestation as occurred when this authority first took over those duties. (22) No charge is made for the use of the Rodent Operator's services in treating private domestic premises, provided that the occupiers co-operate in carrying out their duties under the Act. The cost of treatments at all other premises is recoverable. PET ANIMALS ACT. 1951. This Act came into force on the 1st April, 1952, and gives the local Authority, inter alia, power to grant licences to persons to keep pet shops for the sale of pet animals and to attach to the licences conditions concerning the cleanliness and general management of the premises. Three Licences were granted during the year following inspection of the premises. RAG FLOCK ACT. 1951. This Act which cams into force on the 1st November, 1951, creates controls over the use of filling materials in the making of upholstery. There are no premises liable to registration within the district. DISINFESTATIONS. One infestation of bed bugs has been treated during the year, and a further nineteen premises were sprayed with a D.D.T. solution, or otherwise treated, for infestations of ants, fleas, cockroaches, etc: thirty wasps' nests were destroyed. PETROLEUM (REGULATION) ACTS 1928 AND 1936. There are thirty-eight persons licensed to store petroleum and petroleum mixtures upon the Register. The Licences are for varying quantities from 10 gallons to 6,000 gallons. The total quantity of petroleum spirit and mixtures which may be kept in the various stores is 28,100 gallons and 100 lbs. One hundred and six inspections were made, but there was no serious breach of the Regulations to report. One Licence was issued for the storage of 112 lbs. of Carbide of Calcium. The scale of fees for Licences to Store Petroleum ranges from 5/- for a quantity not exceeding 100 gallons to £1 for 1,000 to 5,000 gallons, and £2 for 6,000 gallons. I am, Yours obediently, J. B. WILSON. Chief Sanitary Inspector.