[Report 1944] / Medical Officer of Health, Belper (Union) R.D.C.

  • Belper (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1944
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1944] / Medical Officer of Health, Belper (Union) R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/10 (page 5)
    MiMTIAL REPORT OP THE SANITi\RY INSPECTORS FOR THE YMR EiTDED 31st. DECEMBER 19kUo Gentlemen, ' Again it is our duty to present a brief report on the functioning of the Public Health Services during another year of war. Looking back on the year, we are somewhat surprised to note how little real deterioration has taken place in the services given by this Authority, during the fifth year of the mr.. The ratepayers have most philosophically accepted such currailmont as was obligatory, as being inevitable and comparatively fev/ complaints have been made. Not many changes have taken place in your employees and it has not been deemed advisable to resort to regular overtime. The personnel of the administrative side remains as.in previous years. Dr. R.C. iillen. Medical Officer of Health, Mr. J.. Layccck, Sanitary Inspector for the Southern ^irea and Ivlr^ Cooper for the Northern area. Towards the end of ,tho year your Inspectors subsiitted individual reports on administration for your, consideration. Under yo'.:r Clerk, new sub-committees have been set up to consider post-war problems relating to Housing> Water-Supplies and . Sewage Disposal, whilst the Riiral Housing Report also has been under con- sideration. HOUSING. This has largely been a year of marking time and. more preparation awaiting the cessation of hostilities. Inspection and recording of houses of the work- ing classes awaits more sec bled times v/hen labour in the building trades will be available for under present conditions it is too obvious that during the time which must elapse between inspection ci.nd replacement, circxamstances may entirely have changed. Therefore bare maintenance had to be accepted, RURi'iL HOUSING. This required , the inspection and classification of all working class houses in every rural area. There are five categories, the last three principally to be dealt vdth under the first survey. The preliminary survey is to ascertain the general position of rural housing, and the scheme is under the consideration of the County Committee« The Council's attention is drawn to the Mnistry's suggestion that the Rural Councils should mako use of any temporary labour available - skilled or unskilled, in making the preliminary survey. Applications have been received from persons inadequately housed for almost anything which can bo made weatherproof. Some dilapidated properties have been so repaired even up to the cost of approximately £100 per house. Even so the needs have not been met, MILK IM) DAIRIES. ].fuch time has been taken up with the wo.rk of following up samples of milk Tf^ch have been proved to be of poor keeping quality. Naturally this was during the summer months and rarely was the fault fourJ to be the result of bad or caneless methods of handling the milk on the farms. The chief cause was attributable to either the insufficiency or the high uomnerature of the water supply, with a poor sorvico of chums taking a high secondary place. On some of the faims an improvement of the water-supply has been effected under the scheme i^ereby the County i^gricultural Committee bear one hal.? the cost, but tho