[Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, King's Norton & Northfield U.D.C.

King's Norton and Northfield (England). Urban District Council.

Date:: 1904

Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, King's Norton & Northfield U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Housing of the Working Classes. No house was closed during the year as unfit for human habitation. A number were discovered which needed cleansing, roofs repairing, and damp walls put right. This was the case in 413 instances, and three old houses were closed by their owners, owing to general decay. The supply of houses is ample for present needs, trade depression keeping down any great demand for fresh abodes. This same depression accounted for several instances where two families occupied one house. In this way occurred the only reported case of illegal over- crowding, which was investigated by the writer, and abated shortly afterwards. The standard amount of air-space in legal overcrowding, namely, 300 cubic feet per adult, is so low that it is not often reached. Many country cottages are really too crowded, with small, unventilated bedrooms, and large, not too healthy, families. Plans for 634 houses, or nearly 200 less than in 1903, were passed by the Council; the chief increase was in Stirchley and Selly Oak Wards. There have been some complaints of the passages and yards near houses not being paved, causing swamps to form in wet weather. Canal Boats Act. The good work done under this Act last year has gone on and increased in amount, 220 inspections being made of canal boats passing through the district. In 63 cases contraventions of the Act were discovered, including over-crowding, boats not properly marked, boats needing painting, etc. Slaughter=houses. The number of registered slaughter-houses is 19, and to these were paid 299 visits by the district inspectors. There were 20 minor contraventions of the bye-laws discovered and remedied. The 15 slaughter-houses that I visited were found generally in good order. As mentioned last year, several of the old slaughter-houses, owing to their construction and propinquity to the street and dwelling-houses, are not suitable for the purpose. Food and Meat Inspection. In no instance was unwholesome meat or other food seized by the officials of the department. In fact no doubtful food was found at all, and from my own experience, and that of the sanitary staff, the food supply of the district is of good and wholesome quality.