Dr Morgan Rees's report to the Local Government Board on the sanitary circumstances and administration of the Mallwyd Urban District.

  • Rees, Morgan J.
Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr Morgan Rees's report to the Local Government Board on the sanitary circumstances and administration of the Mallwyd Urban District. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The ilistrict has been fairly free from any serious outbreaks of infectious disease. During the six years, 1905-1910, only 12 cases viz. : diphtheria and membranous croup 11, scarlet fever 1, were notified. Of these 2 cases of diphtheria were fatal. But the death- rate from phthisis has been heavy. During the same period out of a total of 104 deaths from all causes, 18 were due to phthisis. Adoptive Acts, Byelaws, —No adoptive Acts are in force in the district nor are there any byelaws. Sanitary Administration. The Mallwyd Urban District, which was formed in 1895, is governed by a council composed of 11 members. The Medical Officer of Health is Dr. David William Morris, M.R..C.P. Ireland, M.R.C.S. England. He is engaged in private practice and holds the appointments of District Medical Officer and Public Vaccinator in the Mallwyd district of the Dolgelly Union. As medical officer of health he receives a salary of £20 per annum part of which is repaid out of county funds. In his annual reports, although they are very meagre, he nevertheless endeavours to draw attention to the insanitary conditions that exist in the district. The Inspector of Nuisances is Mr. John Evans. He holds no special qualification. His salary as inspector of nuisances was £2 IO5. per annum until six years ago, when it was increased to £3. He is also surveyor to the district and receives for this appoint- ment £3 per annum. In addition he has charge of the water-works for which he is paid 9r/. a week. His total salary amounts to £7 19^. per annum. He is also engaged in private work which takes him all over the district, and in this way he avails himself of many opportunities to carry out his official duties. The salary he receives is quite incommensurate with the amount of work involved in the proper discharge of his duties. The foregoing account of the sanitary circumstances and adminis- tration of this urban district shows that it abounds in conditions inimical to the health of its inhabitants, and that little has hitherto been done by the district council to secure removal or amelioration of these conditions. But, while the council are to blame for their large degree of failure to carry out their duties as guardians of the public health, it must be recognised that the decreasing population, the dwindling industry, and the low assessable value of their district, are circumstances that tend to hamper effective action on their part. This is not the first occasion on which the difficulty of securing necessary sanitary improvements in urban districts with small popu- lations has been brought to the notice of the Board. The Board’s Medical Officer, writing on this subject in his Animal Report to the Board for the year 1904-5, with especial reference to the small urban district of Preesall-with-Hackinsall, which afforded an illus- tration of the difficulty of securing efficient sanitary administration in such districts, expressed the following views :— “ It is a matter for serious consideration whether the creation of small urban districts is in the true interests of efficient sani- tary administration. Sub-division of administrative districts leads, in the aggregate, to larger disbursements in the way of 23664 B
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