[Report 1955] / Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County.

  • Canterbury (England). City & County Council.
Date:
1955
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1955] / Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    (c) Estimated total number of unfit houses ... ... 600 Several impressions gained during the survey and ]»robably worth recording are : — (a) The high standard of cleanliness in practically all the houses. (b) The number of owner/occupiers. Such would have been unknown a decade ago. (c) The creditable efforts of tenants who, realising the low rentals, had made attempts to improve the amenities by installing such fittings as new fire-grates. (d) That rather more than 50% of the houses have no more than two occupants. (One-quarter of the hou.ses have only one occupant and one-third only two occupants). Disrepair Certificates. The following applications concerning increase of rent were received : — Applications from tenants for certificates of disrepair... 7 Disrepair certificates granted ... ... ... ... 7 Applications from owners for revocation of disrepair certificates ... ... ... ... ... ... o Revocation certificates granted ... ... ... .... 2 Very few owners have availed themselves of this Act to put liou.ses into a good state of repair and collect more rent, and the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the Act does not permit a reasonable return for the good maintenance of rented houses. Water Supply. The Canterbury and District Water Company own the water undertaking and maintain a very .satisfactory supply as regards (]uantity and quality, supplying all except two houses in the City. The supply' is collected from deep wells in the chalk and is liartially lime softened by the Compaii}'. A minimal dose of chlorine is given, more to keep the apparatus in first-cla.ss working- condition for an emergency than because the .supply normally requires it. Ten .samples of water from bowses in various i)arts of the area were sent for bacteriological examination and chemical analysis and all were of excellent quality in every case and the Pathologist rejjorted that B. Coli presumptive were absent in 100 ccs. There is no plumbo solvent action and the water is free from contamination. Fluorides are insignificant. A water main was extended and two houses hitlierto depend- ing on well water were connected. There are now only two houses which are not connected. One is an unoccupied liouse which is now within easy reach of the main and the other house, which is some .‘>00 yards from a main, depends on well water, which is filtered before use. Inspecfion of Food. The Oovernment Abattoir which oiiened in February, 195;!, continued to be ojierated by the City Council. As before, meat continues to be distributed over most of Kent and even farther afield. Although there has Ixien staff shortage during the year and