[Report 1929] / Medical Officer of Health, Northumberland County Council.

  • Northumberland (England). County Council
Date:
1929
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1929] / Medical Officer of Health, Northumberland County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    49/66 (page 41)
    Rivers Pollution. The position in regard to the pollution of rivers and streams by the discharge therein of sewage remains almost the same as at the end of the previous year (1928). There are, however, indications of the awakening of Local Author¬ ities to their responsibilities in this directon, by the preparation of schemes of sewerage and sewage disposal, the effect of which will be to improve the condition of rivers and water-courses now being polluted. Schemes of sewerage and sewage disposal have been inaugurated during the year at :— Bedlington : New sewerage scheme (No. Bedlington : New sewerage scheme (No. Gosforth : New sewerage scheme Longbenton : Extension of sewer ... Pegswood : Sewage Disposal Works The scheme at Pegswood is the forerunner of new sewerage works for the whole of the village, which will probably be undertaken during the year 1930. The schemes at Gosforth and at Longbenton are extensions indirectly of the Seaton Burn Joint Sewer. 1) 2) Cost Cost Cost Cost Cost £23,000 £1,950 £4,000 £816 £7.500 Housing (1929). The number of houses erected within the administrative County during the past year was 1,171. This figure, although an increase of nearly 200 on that for 1928, is considerably below the average, i.e., 1,542 for the nine years 1920-1928. Of the total contribution for the year under review 861 (64 per cent.) were “ subsidy ” houses, and 281 (31'5 per cent.) were erected by Local Authorities, of whom Blytli Borough (132), Newburn Urban District (76), and Bedlington Urban District (50) were the greatest contributors. Blyth also heads the list for the erection of the largest number of houses (all types) for the year with 289, followed by Whitley and Monkseaton with 160, Newburn 116, Castle Ward 86, Earsclon 75, Bedlington 61, and Wallsend 57. The total number of houses erected in the County since 1920 is now 15,048. During the intervening period, however, 658 dwellings have been permanently discontinued as such either as the result of Closing Orders or other cogent reasons, the net gain to the County being 14,390. The Housing Table is again brought up to date for comparative purposes, and shows the relative activity in each County District. In the Table, columns “ A ” show the number of “ subsidy ” houses, and line “ C ” shows the number of houses erected by each Local Authority, the totals of which are 10,837 and 6,874 respectively, 97‘7 per cent, of the latter being State-aided. An additional Table “ B ” has been included on this occasion, designed for the purpose of indicating in comparative form the effect on “ overcrowding ” of the increase in the number of houses. In the Census of 1921 issued by the Registrar General the popula¬ tion of the administrative County was given as 407,317, whilst the estimated figure for 1929 by the same authority is 409,800, an increase for the 8 years of 2,483, equal to. an annual average increase of 310 persons. The number of houses required to house 310 persons at the rate of 4'5 per house is 69, so that the surplus of houses over the number] required to house the normal increase in population for the eight years is 1,542— 69 = 1473 X 8 = 11,784, amongst which the permanent or stand¬ ing population is distributed. Table “ B ” shows the effect of this distribution. The population per house throughout the County in 1921 was 4 95, whilst in 1929 this figure was reduced to 42 7.