AnnualReport-1939

M (1) 4-

(i) Table VIII shows the nuisances in respect of which action has been taken.

(ii) Building Nuisances.-Under the Buildings Ordinance, 1637 nuisances were reported by the department to the Building Authority for action. These are additional to those referred to in paragraph (i) above.

(iv) Table IX shows the distribution of buildings in the various health districts.

(v) Miscellaneous Improvements. Table IX shows the number of houses demolished and erected. The great majority of these are tenement houses.

(vi) Housing.-Table IX shows the number of tenement houses in the several districts erected in conformity with the requirements of the Buildings Ordinance.

(vii) House Cleansing. The routine work under the by-laws for domestic cleanliness and prevention of disease was carried out during the year. Table X shows the number of floors cleansed in the various districts as compared with the last two years.

It will be noticed that although there was an increase in the number of floors cleansed in the western central and central districts due to the formation of additional health districts, the total number of floors cleansed shows a reduction, which was due to the suspension of house cleansing during the cholera and small-pox epidemics.

(viii) House cleansing was normally carried out on five mornings a week by the staff. The privilege of permitting certain occupants of premises to carry out house cleansing at their own convenience was continued and further extended during the year. The terms and conditions under which this concession was granted were generally complied with.

(ix) Prevention of Mosquito Breeding. During the year action was taken in 937 cases of mosquito nuisance or potential mosquito nuisance.

(x) Licensed Premises.-451 premises were inspected by officers of the department with a view to the issue of new licences. Routine inspections of three thousand nine hundred and forty licensed premises were made throughout the year.

(xi) Rat Catching. Twenty-seven members of the cleansing staff were employed during the year setting traps, birdlime boards and also collecting rats from street rat-bins, private premises, etc., and taking them to the public mortuary for examination. The total number of rats caught was:-

Of these none was found to be plague infected.

12.-WORK DONE UNDER THE ADULTERATED FOOD AND DRUGS ORDINANCE AND SECTION 4 OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH (FOOD) ORDINANCE.

(i) Samples of fresh milk were submitted for analysis under section 10 of the Adulterated Food and Drugs Ordinance, of which 151 were found to pass the standard and 3 to be below standard.

Prosecution was successfully undertaken in all 3 cases where the samples failed to satisfy the legal requirements.