Dr. R. Deane Sweeting's report to the Local Government Board on the sanitary circumstances and administration of the Ramsey Urban District, with special reference to the prevalence of scarlatina.

  • Sweeting, R. Deane.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr. R. Deane Sweeting's report to the Local Government Board on the sanitary circumstances and administration of the Ramsey Urban District, with special reference to the prevalence of scarlatina. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    It is imperative that the question of obtaining a good local supply- of water should be again submitted without delay to an expert water engineer, who should decide whether this can be obtained by boring. Failing that, he might consider the course which wa& suggested during my inpection of impounding in a reservoir and filtering the water of the Bury Brook above Ramsey ; or of similar treatment of any spring or upland surface water that might be found available in the neighbourhood of Ramsey. As alternatives to any local supply, the piping to Ramsey of water either from the Wisbech Water Company or the Peterborough public supply at a convenient spot might be considered, and negotiations set on foot with the con- trollers of these supplies. Of course, any of these plans will cost money, more especially the last alternatives. But the question is urgent and paramount; and it should be remembered that the sanitary indebtedness of Ramsey is at present ?i/l (see p. 2). Further, the urban district is not heavily rated, and has a good assessable value. It might be pointed out, too, that, under section 211 (4) of the Public Health Act, 1875, the cost of a water undertaking could be separately assessed for the town proper. Next in order of importance is the provision of proper sewerage and sewage disposal for the town of Ramsey, though this may wait until a public water supply has been provided. The necessity for this has been abundantly shown in the foregoing statement, based on the reports of Dr. Airy and Dr. Wilkinson, and corroborated by myself. Reports on this subject were presented to the council in 1871 and 1885 by Mr. Hutchinson, the County Surveyor of Huntingdon. He advised, in the latter report, chemical treatment after filtration, with discharge of the efiluent to a fen dyke. His suggestions have never been seriously considered. Section 211 (4) of the Public Health Act, 1875, would also apply here. As for other sanitary requirements, houses unfit for human habitation should receive active attention. Vault-privies should be replaced by pail closets, pending the establishment of proper sewerage and the more general adoption of water carriage of excrement. The use of dry earth for the pails should be more encouraged. Scavenging of the present vaults and ashpits needs to be better supervised, and undertaken at shorter intervals than three months. The substitution of covered ashcans for open ashpits should continue to be pressed. All slaughter-houses and common lodging houses should be registered. Fresh series of byelaws, based on the Board’s models, replacing the present codes, should be submitted for the Board’s confirmation. I had the advantage during my inquiry of conferring with Mr. Maule, the Clerk to the Huntingdon County Council, and with Dr. Wilkinson, their Consulting Medical Oflficer of Health,^ to whom, as well as to the officers of the Ramsey Urban District Covmcil, I tender my thanks for their assistance in obtaining the facts necessary for^this report. R. Deane Sweeting.