Sunntoio JElural ©Strict REPORT OF THE Medical Officer of Health W. J. MOFFATT M.B., Ch.B., D.P.H. FOR THE YEAR 1948 TOGETHER WITH THE REPORT OF THE Chief Sanitary Inspector Dunmow: N. G. Davey 16 High Street Dunmow Rural District Public Health Committee E. C. Arnold, Esq., j.p. Chairman A. E. Bentall, Esq. P. J. Bentall, Esq., j.p. W. Bishop, Esq. D. H. Burns, Esq. C. H. Burton, Esq. O. J. Caton, Esq. P. Coleman, Esq. A. A. G. Cox, Esq. G. Crawford, Esq. W. Culpin, Esq. E. G. Drane, Esq. W. Gilmour, Esq. Mrs M. L. Griffiths, j.p. E. J. Holloway, Esq., j.p. J. Lanyon, Esq., j.p. E. T. Leeder, Esq. E. M. Letts, Esq. G. W. Lowe, Esq., j.p. J. M. Lukies, Esq. S. F. Mansfield, Esq. A. A. Menhinick, Esq. H. J. Pasfield, Esq. C. E. Pulford, Esq. B. T. R. Pyle, Esq. Mrs D. H. M. Romanes W. H. SCANTLEBURY, ESQ. A. T. Smith, Esq. J. W. Steele, Esq. G. C. Stevenson, Esq. G. E. Stock, Esq. H. Trembath, Esq. A. G. Turner, Esq. Rev. J. M. Wilson H. W. Witney, Esq. Mrs Perry Co-opted Members* Mrs Culf Public Health Officers MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH W. J. Moffat, m.b., ch.b., d.p.h. CHIEF SANITARY INSPECTOR H. B. Gardner, m.r.san.i., s.i.e.j.b. Certificated Inspector of Meat and other Foods SECOND SANITARY INSPECTOR R. P. May, Cert. r.san.i., s.i.e.j.b. Certificated Inspector of Meat and other Foods THIRD SANITARY INSPECTOR J. E. Fannon, Cert, r.san.i., s.i.e.j.b. HOUSING INSPECTORS J. P. Burton G. H. Mason Public Health Office, Council Offices, Rochford, Essex. August, 1949 Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present for your consideration my Annual Report for the year 1948, on the health and sanitary conditions of the Dunmow Rural District. From the evidence available it would appear that the general level of health of the inhabitants was well maintained during the year under review. The death rate was reduced from previous years to the low figure of 107 per 1,000 of the population which is as low as it has ever been, and that only once before, in 1939. The lowered death rate more than counterbalanced the anticipated fall in the birth rate. The incidence of infectious disease was again low, and the position with regard to tuberculosis showed an improvement both by the re- duction in the numbers of new cases notified and in the number of deaths due to the disease. A Local Inquiry by an Inspector of the Ministry of Health was held in October, 1948, into the Council’s proposals, based on their Consultant Engineer’s report, for a comprehensive scheme of exten- sions to, and improvements of their existing sewerage and sewage disposal schemes, whereby ultimately, and where at all practicable, all the inhabited portions of their District would be served by sewers. More detailed reference to this Inquiry is contained in the body of this Report. The result of the Inquiry was still awaited at the end of the year. The year 1948 saw the first substantial results of the Council’s post-war housing programme, in the completion and occupation of 128 new houses in various parishes in the District. There was also a sub- stantial drop in the number of applicants on the waiting list for housing accommodation. There is, however, little cause for complacency be- cause of the very considerable leeway which still has to be made up, both in respect of housing for those families still without separate ac- commodation of their own and for those who are still, in default of better, continuing in occupation of sub-standard houses. Work continued during the year on the laying of extensions to the water mains and on sinking the trial borehole at Thaxted, as part of the Council’s post-war scheme for expanding the water supply to the District, to cope with the ever increasing demands for water. Further evidence of the increasing demand is to be found in the steadily rising figures for the rates of water consumption, both by domestic and other consumers. The year 1948 has been an eventful one in local government history. It was just a hundred years ago that the first Public Health Act came into force. By reason of the volume of new legislation concerning the functions of local authorities which came into effect, 1948 may eventually be regarded as an historical landmark of compar- able magnitude. The overall effect, as regards a rural district council has been to diminish the range of responsibility, to take the control of certain services out of their hands, thus making that control more remote than previously. It is much too early to form an opinion as to what benefits or otherwise can be held to be due to the change. Of the functions that remain there is certainly much remaining to be done before the standard of the environmental health services can be con- sidered as high as it should be, and there are still many gaps in our knowledge of the effect of environment on the health and well-being of the community. The field may be narrowed but there is definite scope for more extensive cultivation. In this report a reversion has been made to the pre-war practice of including a separate report by the Chief Sanitary Inspector, which thus affords a more complete picture of the work done by your Inspec- tors during the year. As formerly I am indebted to Mr H. B. Gardner who has supplied a great deal of the information contained in this report. This is my last Annual Report to you. It is nearly ten years ago since I was appointed your Medical Officer of Health. It is very doubtful if there has been at any time a decade such as 1939-48 in the history of this or any other district council in the country. The im- mediate high lights which stand out in retrospect, are the hurried pre- war preparations for civil defence; the absorption, in the course of one week-end, into the resident population of an additional 2,500 persons most of whom were school children; the gradual militarisation of many familiar features; the sporadic effects of bombing; the second mass evacution in October, 1940, of hundreds of bombed-out persons from the East end of London; the preparations for the invasion that did not come; the arrival of the American forces and finally—peace. From the point of view of public health the most notable feature of that period was that the community was able, or enabled, to maintain itself in such good health and spirits. I have now come to the end of my association with the Dunmow Rural Council, its members and its officers. For my part I regard that association as having been a most happy one and I wish to take this last opportunity of again expressing to the Council my deep sense of gratitude for the consideration which they have always shown me, both during my actual time in their service and during the period of my absence on war service. I would also JiJse to express to the Council’s Officers my thanks for their help and co-operation which was always willingly prof erred. 1 am, Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, W. J. MOFFAT Genera) Statistics Area (in acres) Estimate of Resident Population in mid-1948 Number of Inhabited Houses according to rate books (as at 31st March, 1948) Rateable Value Sum represented by a Penny Rate (as at 31st March, 1948) ... ... ... ... 72,5 ii 18,490 5,416 £70,849 £290 3s. 2d. Social Conditions:—In the Rural District the main industry is agriculture. There are also a few factories in the District, such as the Beet Sugar Factory at Felstead, the Sweet Factory at Thaxted, and the Bacon Factory and the Brewery at Great Dunmow, and some Service Department installations, which provide employment for con- siderable numbers in the respective neighbourhoods. In the summer and autumn there are numbers of migratory workers in the District temporarily engaged in agricultural work. As was to be expected in such a Rural District unemployment was almost totally absent, apart from seasonal changes of occupation. There was no evidence that any industry gave rise to conditions pre- judical to health. Vital Statistics In Table I on page 7 will be found certain extracts from the Vital Statistics of the Dunmow Rural District for the years 1939 to 1948 inclusive. It will be observed that the Birth Rate for 1948, although decreasing in comparison with the two preceding years, was still con- siderably above that of the pre-war years, when the average rate for the five year period 1934-38 inclusive was 14.2 per 1,000 of the popu- lation. In 1948, the Death Rate for the District also declined, to the low level of 10.7 per 1,000, a rate which had only once before been reached—in 1939. As the population of the Rural District almost certainly contains a higher proportion of the elderly than does that of England and Wales as a whole, the local rate compares very favourably with the national rate. In Table II on page 8 the Causes of Death of Residents of the District as supplied by the Registrar General are listed according to sex. The main causes of death were again diseases of the heart and the circulatory system. Cancer was next in importance as a cause of death. Of the more easily preventible deaths attention is drawn to the four deaths from road traffic accidents. Since 1939 there have been an average of 3.4 deaths per year from this cause in the area of the Dunmow Rural District. t The nett deaths of persons whose normal place of residence was within the Rural District, whether death occured in or outside the District, in 1948, were distributed in age groups as shown below. All under 1-2 2-5 5-15 15-25 25-35 35-45 45-55 55-65 65-75 75 Ages 1 & up 198 8 1 1 — 5 5 5 13 33 58 69 It might have been expected that the age groups from 65 upwards would have an increasing proportion of the total deaths but this was not the case in 1948. Then the percentage of the total deaths occurring in the 65 and over age group was 64.1% whereas the comparative figures for 1947 were 72.9% and 72% for 1946. In the Year 1948 live births in the District were as follows: — Male Female Total 155 154 Legitimate 146 140 Illegitimate 9 14 giving a rate of 19.2 per 1,000 of the estimated resident population. There were eight still births during the year made up as shown below: — Male Female Total 5 3 Legitimate 4 3 Illegitimate 1 and the rate per 1,000 total (live and still) births was 25.9. There were eight deaths of infants under one year of age, as under: — Male Female Total 4 4 Legitimate 4 4 Illegitimate - - and the Death Rate of Infants under one year of age was as follows: All Infants per 1,000 Live Births ... ... 38.3 Legitimate Infants per 1,000 Legitimate Live Births 27.9 Illegitimate Infants per 1,000 Illegitimate Live Births 0.0 Of the eight infant deaths, three were due to premature birth and four to congenital causes. The other was due to septicaemia. During the year ended December, 1948, there were 153 marriages in the Dunmow Rural District. This represents a rate of 8.3 per 1,000 of the estimated population, compared with rates of 7.8 for 1947 and 6.8 for 1946. TABLE I EXTRACTS FROM VITAL STATISTICS FOR 1948 AND PREVIOUS YEARS DEATHS NETT At all ages (sqjB3p J9AO sipiiq jo SS90X9) 3SB3JDUI 45 -29 1 19 99 69 41 117 108 111 S3FM PUB pUB^Sug 3JBH 12.1 14.4 13.5 12.3 13.0 12.7 12.6 12.0 12.3 ol0.8 3JBH 10.7 14.3 12.9 12.7 11.8 12.9 12.7 12.1 13.2 10.7 jaqumjq 183 260 246 231 211 233 225 225 237 198 Under i year of age S3IB^ PUB PUBI§U3—3JBH O t"- O i—lONV^VOtOr-ITf X tXXXtXStxJXStxSXXS sqjnq 'jJ3U OOO'I J3d 3JB^[ 43.9 16.8 53 55.5 38.7 62.9 60 35.1 20.3 25.9 raquin^i 0 ’T«n«/-'iN)o\Tt-cqi--oo T“H t*H iH t-H t-H t-H TRANSFER- ABLE J3UJSIQ Ut pawjsxSaj jou sju3pis3H JO l> M^OONhONOOONh H J3IJJ9TQ UI p3J3JSl89J sjuapisbj -uomjo OO Tt-OOV^OVOMOlOt^-r-H ' N H lotnsia UX p3J3JST§3J isquinu jbjojl [ 114 192 162 137 122 180 146 146 154 126 BIRTHS NETT PUB pUBjSug—31BH 14.8 14.1 13.9 15.6 16.2 17.7 15.9 19.1 20.5 ol7.9 3JB^ 14.0 12.7 13.0 14.8 17.3 16.7 14.9 19.2 19.2 16.8 jaqumjq 228 231 247 270 310 302 266 342 345 309 JBOit-piUI pajBiuijsa uonBjndoj (a) 16,220 (b) 17,150 | 18,240 18,970 18,210 17,920 18,060 17,760 17,810 17,980 18,490 HV3A 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 (a) for calculation of Birth Rates. o Provisional (b) for calculation of Death Rates x Rate per 13000 “related” births and Notifiable Disease The Table below was compiled from figures supplied by the Registrar-General and the classification is given under the new abridged list of causes of death as used in England and Wales and contained in the Manual of the International List of Causes of Death. Cause of Death Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers ... Cerebro-spinal fever Scarlet fever ... Whooping cough Diphtheria Tuberculosis of respiratory system Other forms of tuberculosis • ... Syphilitic diseases Influenza Measles Acute poliomyelitis and polio-encephalitis ... Acute infectious encephalitis Cancer of buccal cavity and oesophagus (M) uterus (F) Cancer of stomach and duodenum Cancer of Breast Cancer of all other sites Diabetes Intra-cranial vascular lesions Heart disease Other diseases of circulatory system Bronchitis Pneumonia Other respiratory diseases Ulcer of stomach and duodenum ... Diarrhoea under 2 years Appendicitis Other digestive diseases Nephritis Puerperal and post-abortive sepsis Other maternal causes ... Premature birth Congenital malformation, birth injury, infantile disease Suicide Road traffic accidents Other violent causes All other causes Male Female 4 1 2 4 15 1 9 31 3 7 4 1 2 . 4 3 1 2 8 22 23 6 1 2 2 1 1 3 4 3 1 3 1 3 1 1 8 10 All Causes 104 94 General Provision of Health Services Public Health Officers For List see page 1. The Medical Officer of Health is also Medical Officer of Health for the Urban Districts of Braintree and Witham and the Rural Dis- trict of Braintree, and Assistant Medical Officer to the Essex County Council. For the appointment of the Medical Officer of Health the Dunmow Rural District Council have joined with the Braintree Urban and Rural Districts to form the Braintree and Dunmow (United) Sani- tary Committee. Office accommodation is provided for the Medicai Officer of Health, under arrangements made by the Joint Sanitary Committee, at the Braintree and Bocking Urban District Council Offices at the Town Hall, Braintree. The Chief Sanitary Inspector also holds the appointment of Sur- veyor to the Council. There were no changes in the Staff during the year. Laboratory Facilities The bacteriological laboratories serving the Rural District are those at St. John’s Hospital, Chelmsford, for the central and eastern part and at Haymeads Hospital, Bishop’s Stortford, for the western portion of the area. The service is, by arrangement with the Ministry of Health, under the control of the County Medical Officer. Under other arrangements made by the Essex County Council, the Counties Public Health Laboratories, 66 Victoria Street, London, S.W.l undertake the bacteriological and chemical analysis of water samples and chemical analysis of sewage effluents and the bacteri- ological examination of milk and ice cream, and of other foods for pathogenic bacteria. Milk supplies, under similar arrangements to the above, are exam- ined at the Essex Institute of Agriculture, Writtle, near Chelmsford, except that the biological examination of milk samples is undertaken by the laboratory of Dr A. Leslie Sheather, at Wroxton, Chorley Wood, Herts. This latter arrangement has been made direct by the Rural District Council as no such service is available under the County Council’s Scheme. Ambulance Facilities Until 5th July, 1948, the Council continued to maintain the am- bulance service in the District by the Council’s own vehicle, driver and part time attendants. A supplementary service was available by means of an ambulance of the St. John Ambulance Brigade stationed at Great Dunmow. The latter, unlike the Council’s vehicle, was restric- ted to the transport of patients who were not suffering from infectious disease. As in the immediately preceding years, the County Council’s scheme for the co-ordination of ambulance services in the County Area continued in operation. On the rare occasions when supplementary ambulance services were required from outside the Rural District, there was no difficulty in obtaining these. The Rural District Council had, until 5th July, 1948, provided an ambulance vehicle of their own to serve the needs of their district for a period of years. The Personnel employed had been one part- time driver-caretaker and part-time attendants from the local branch of the St. John Ambulance Brigade. The service throughout these years has proved generally adequate for the demands made upon it, and especially since mutual aid arrangements were made with neigh- bouring authorities. The vehicles latterly were not the most suitable type but better ones could not be got. The Council had a new ambul- ance on order when the National Health Act, 1946, was passed. Nursing in the Home The Essex County Council being the Local Health Authority took over the provision of this service from the appointed day, and for this purpose made arrangements with the Essex County Nursing Assoc- iation who had previously undertaken this work by means of their District Nurse Midwives in the District. Treatment Centres and Clihics These are provided by the Essex County Council and include Child Welfare Centres in all the larger villages. Minor Ailment, Dental, Tuberculosis and Ante Natal Clinics at Great Dunmow. Other Clinics, e.g. Venereal Disease, Orthopaedic, Mental Treatment and Eye Clinics are available at Braintree or Chelmsford. Hospitals Apart from the small Cottage Hospital at Hatfield Broad Oak, which takes the majority of its cases from outside the District, all cases which require Hospital accommodation have to be sent to institu- tions situated outside the Rural District Council’s boundary. Cases of infectious disease from the District were admitted mainly to Chelmsford Infectious Diseases Hospital. Occasional cases were admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Colchester, and Saffron Walden Isolation Hospital was also sometimes available. For cases of general sickness and accident which required hospital treatment, beds were available in the general hospitals at Chelmsford, Bishop’s Stortford, Saffron Walden and Braintree. Usually, patients were admitted to the particular hospital nearest to their homes. Pat- ients from this District were also admitted to Haymeads Hospital, Bishop’s Stortford, and to Essex County Council Hospital, Black Notley. Maternity cases, when confinement is indicated, are usually admit- ted to St. John’s Hospital, Chelmsford. Occasionally, such cases are accommodated in the William Julien Courtauld Hospital, Braintree or Bishop’s Stortford Hospital. St. Michael’s Hospital, Braintree, is the Social Welfare Institu- tion of the County Council which admits the majority of the cases of chronic sickness and senility from the Dunmow Rural District. Similar accommodation is also provided by the County Council at Chelmsford and Saffron Walden and, by arrangement at Bishop’s Stortford. Accommodation for such cases is becoming increasingly difficult to find, as the proportion of older persons in the population increases without a corresponding increase in the facilities for them to be cared for at home. Control of the above Hospitals passed to the North-Eastern Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board on 5th July, 1948. New Legislation The year 1948 was a remarkable one in respect of the amount of new Legislation affecting the functions of a District Council. As the overall effect tended to diminish still further the powers of such bodies it cannot be hailed, from their point of view, as a landmark along the road of progress. As far as the public health functions of the Council were con- cerned the more important enactments were the National Health Service Act, 1946 and the National Assistance Act, 1948, both of which came into operation on 5th July, 1948. Under the former Act, the Council ceased to be responsible, among other duties, for the Am- bulance Service, for Diphtheria Immunisation and for the provision of beds for cases of infectious disease arising in the District. On the other hand, by the National Assistance Act the Council have now become charged with the duty of arranging burial for deceased persons dying in their area when no one else will undertake the responsibility. By virtue of Section 47 of the same Act the Council may now, on a certificate from their Medical Officer of Health, apply to the court of summary jurisdiction for an order for persons they are convinced (a) are suffering from grave chronic disease, or, being aged, infirm or physically incapacitated, are living in insanitary conditions, and (b) are unable to devote to themselves, and are not receiving from other persons, proper care and attention. The required certificate of the Medical Officer of Health can only be given after due inquiry and consideration, not only of the interests of the person concerned, but also of the risk of injury to the health of, or serious nuisance to other persons. No action was required to be taken by the Council under the above mentioned Section 47 of the National Assistance Act during 1948. Neither were the Council called upon to arrange burial for any deceased person under the provisions of Section 50 of the same Act. Sanitary Circumstances of the Area Water Although preliminary work had been begun before the end of the year on the approved mains extensions, the position as regards the provision of main water supplies in the District during 1948 was sub- stantially the same as in 1947, and as described in some detail in my Annual Report for 1946. In the Rural District as a whole the water supplies were satis- factory, both in regard to quantity and quality throughout the year. The Council’s sources of water at supply at Great Dunmow and Thaxted continue to provide a sufficient quantity of water for the demands made upon them, but in order to do this it was necessary to make a cross link between the rising and one of the delivery mains at Thaxted, thereby increasing the output at the latter works by some 2,000 gallons per hour. The western portion of the District, which is supplied by the Herts and Essex Water Company, also enjoyed a satisfactory water supply. In some of the more remote parts of the area where old private shallow wells had failed, or proved to be un- satisfactory in quality, the Council continued to cart water supplies. The parishes principally affected thus were Broxted (Pledgdon Green Road) and Great Dunmow (Pharisee Green and Proverbs Green). All the piped main water supplies in the District are chlorinated before passing into supply, and, in addition, at the Council’s two Waterworks, the raw water is also treated for the removal of iron. The Council also intend, as soon as circumstances permit, to instal water softening plant at each of their works. 12 koutine bacteriological examinations were made during the year of the Council’s and the Herts and Essex Water Company’s piped main water supplies. These examinations were made both of the raw water and of the water going into supply after being subjected to chlorination, and, in the case of the Council’s supply, treatment for the removal of iron. The number of such samples taken by the Council’s Officers during the year was as follows: — Raw Water Water in Supply Thaxted Waterworks 6 6 Great Dunmow Waterworks 6 6 Herts & Essex Water Company - 6 Total 12 18 Total 12 12 6 30 The Herts and Essex Water Company also furnish the Council regularly with copies of reports of the analyses of water samples taken in their area of supply. Fourteen such reports were received by the Council during the year. All the above mentioned samples taken from the various sources were reported upon as being of the high standard of bacterial purity, suitable for a public water supply. Twice yearly samples of the same waters are taken for chemical analysis. The reports in these instances were also satisfactory in this respect. Copies of the complete chemical and bacteriological reports upon representative samples from each of the three sources of main water supplies in the District are to be found on page 17 (Thaxted Water- works), page 16 (Great Dunmow Waterworks) and page 18 (Herts and Essex Waterworks Company). None of the waters is liable to have any plumbo solvent action. No action in respect of any contamination was required during the year. In the table on page 15 are given particulars in respect of each of the twenty-five parishes of the Rural District in regard to the number of houses, estimated population and the provision of main water supplies, either by pipes into the houses or by stand pipes. New Works of Water Supply. Work was begun in the latter part of the year on the sinking of the new borehole at Thaxted from which it is hoped to obtain the additional water for the scheme of water mains extension to those populated parts of the District still without the benefit of a main water supply, and for future estimated needs. Some difficulty was experienced by sand entering the borehole. It was hoped to have a test in the spring of 1949. In the Herts and Essex Water Company’s supply area in the District the erection of a new high level tank at Bedlar’s Green, Great Hallingbury, gave a needed increase in pressure in that area and sup- plies were adequately maintained during periods of peak demand, where formerly the supply was occasionally intermittent. During the year fair progress was also maintained on the works of mains extension which formed part of the Council’s post-war prog- ramme. The following works were completed or were nearing com- pletion at the end of the year: — Broxted, 1,100 yards of 3 in. main from Brick End to Pledgdon Green Broxted, 2,400 yards of 3 in. main from Sugsty Green to Cheery Gn. Thaxted, 1,760 yards of 9 in. main from Pumping Station to Cutlers Green Water Tower. As a reflection of the increased tempo of house building in the District there was a considerable increase in the number of new con- nections to the water mains and these were as follows: — Houses connected to Council’s mains ... ... 205 New metered supplies ... ... ... ... 19 Houses connected to Herts & Essex Water Co.’s mains 22 These new connections involved the laying of considerable lengths of service mains on to various housing sites throughout the District. Water Consumption in the District. Once again there was a rise in the total daily consumption of water. From 379,000 gallons per day in 1947, the figures rose to 397,000 gallons per day in 1948, in respect of the part of the District supplied by the Council’s undertakings. In the same area, in the latter year, metered consumption amounted to 42,419,000 gallons for the whole year, compared with a corresponding figure of 35,114,000 gallons for 1947. Throughout the year, the average rate of domestic consumption of water was 23.5 gallons per head per day in the popula- tion who obtain their supply from the public mains. MAIN WATER SUPPLIES Population in each Parish on Main Supply: — Parish CO QJ on y T3 CJ D CO p T3 3 G a . a 'o.-B* o d> 3 o a c a a3 in CO <L> 3 C/D a 3 O 00 £ c M-l O 6 •5 3 4-> Q, W(2 CO 3 O ffi C • 05 a fe.s T3 05 W< 03 CO ^ o ^ 3 300 TT rr\ W 40 Aythorpe Roding 76 247 28 91 1 3 Little Bardfield 117 380 31 101 1 3 Barnston 85 276 59 192 2 7 Broxted 165 536 134 436 1 4 Great Canfield 137 445 94 306 6 19 Little Canfield 82 286 70 228 3 10 Chickney 10 32 3 10 - - Great Dunmow 1044 3393 947 3078 10 32 Little Dunmow 114 371 64 208 9 29 Great Easton 220 715 164 533 5 17 Little Easton 108 351 69 214 6 19 Felstead 538 1949 458 1489 9 29 Great Hallingbury 280 910 178 579 6 20 Little Hallingbury 204 663 189 614 5 16 Hatfield Broad Oak 621 2017 402 1307 7 23 High Easter 194 631 89 289 16 52 High Roding 125 406 104 338 4 13 Leaden Roding 72 224 58 189 2 7 Lindsell 85 276 55 179 7 23 Margaret Roding 88 286 45 146 4 13 Stebbing 314 1021 224 728 19 62 T akeley 306 995 257 835 6 20 Thaxted 576 1872 548 1781 2 7 Tilty 25 81 3 10 - - White Roding 108 351 59 192 — — dpipe Water Analyses Sample from GREAT DUNMOW PUBLIC SUPPLY Date of Sample 17/2/48 Chemical Results in Parts per Million Appearance: Faintly opalescent with a few particles of iron oxide. Colour Less than 10 Turbidity (Silica Scale) ... 5 Odour Nil Reaction pH Neutral 7.1 Electric Conductivity at Total Solids dried at 180°C 460 20°C ... 690 Alkalinity as Ca CO3 300 Chlorine in Chlorides ... 37 Free Carbon Dioxide 34 Hardness Total 325 Nitrogen in Nitrates 0.0 Temporary ... 300 Nitrogen in Nitrites absent Permanent ... 25 Free Ammonia 0.20 Metals Iron ... 0.21 Albuminoid Ammonia 0.000 Other Metals ... absent Oxygen absorbed in 4 hrs at 27°C ...• 0.10 BACTERIOLOGICAL RESULTS 1 day at 37°C 2 days at 37°C 3 days at 20°C Number of Colonies developing on Agar per ml. in ... 1 9 - Presumptive Coliform Reaction Present in - Absent from 100 ml. Bad. coli ... ... Present in - Absent from 100 ml. Report: This sample is practically clear and bright in appearance, neutral in reaction and free from metals apart from a minute trace of iron. The water is very hard in character, but its hardness and its content of mineral and saline constituents in solution are not excessive. It is of very satisfactory organic quality and bacterial purity. Apart from the slight objection to the faint opalescence due to the pre- sence of iron, the water is considered pure and wholesome in character and suitable for public supply purposes. (Signed) ROY C. HOATHER, The Counties Public Health Laboratories. Sample from THAXTED PUBLIC SUPPLY Date of Sample 28/9/48 Chemical Results in Parts per Million Appearance: Very faintly opalescent with a few particles of mineral debris. Colour Nil Turbidity (Silica Scale) Less than 5 Odour Nil Reaction pH 7.2 Electric Conductivity at Total Solids dried at 180°C 530 20 °C ... 790 Alkalinity as Ca CO 3 295 Chlorine in Chlorides ... 38 Free Carbon Dioxide 27 Hardness Total 415 Nitrogen in Nitrates 0.0 Temporary ... 295- Nitrogen in Nitrites Less than 0.01 Permanent ... 120 Free Ammonia 0.24 Metals Iron... 0.07 Albuminoid Ammonia 0.000 Other Metals ... absent Oxygen absorbed in 4 hrs at 27°C ... 0.00 BACTERIOLOGICAL RESULTS 1 day at 37°C 2 days at 37°C 3 days at 20°C Number of Colonies developing on Agar per ml. in 1 3 Presumptive Coliform Reaction Present in - Absent from 100 ml. Bact. coli Present in - Absent from 100 ml. Report: This sample is reasonably clear and bright in appearance, containing only a few particles in suspension, and free from metals apart from a negligible trace of iron. The water is neutral in reaction, very hard in character though not to an excessive degree and its content of saline and mineral constituents in solution is not excessive. It is of a high standard of organic quality and bacterial purity. These results are consistent with a wholesome water suitable for public supply purposes. (Signed) G. J. LAWS, Sample from HERTS AND ESSEX WATERWORKS COMPANY Date of Sample 15/7/48 Chemical Results in Parts per Million Appearance: Bright with a very few particles of mineral debris. Colour Nil Turbidity (Silica Scale) Less than 5 Odour Nil Reaction pH 7.4 Electric Conductivity at Total Solids dried at 180°C 450 20° C ... 670 Alkalinity as Ca CO 3 ... 305 Chlorine in Chlorides ... 28 Free Carbon Dioxide 17 Hardness Total 370 Nitrogen in Nitrates 0.0 Temporary ... 305 Nitrogen m Nitrites absent Permanent ... 65 Free Ammonia 0.000 Metals Iron ... 0.15 Albuminoid Ammonia 0.000 Zinc ... 2.5 Oxygen absorbed in 4 hrs Other Metals ... absent at 27°C ... 0.20 BACTERIOLOGICAL RESULTS 1 day at 37°C 2 days at 37°C 3 days at 20°C Number of Colonies developing on Agar per ml. in ... 0 0 - Presumptive Coliform Reaction Present in - Absent from 100 ml. Bact. coli ... ... Present in - Absent from 100 ml. Report: This sample is practically clear and bright in appearance, neutral in reaction and free from metals apart from a trace of zinc and a minute trace of iron. The water is very hard in character though not to an excessive degree and contains no excess of saline or mineral constituents in solution. It is of very satisfactory organic quality and bacterial purity. These results are consistent with a wholesome water suitable for drinking and domestic purposes. (Signed) G. J. LAWS Drainage and Sewerage In October, 1948, there was held a public local enquiry by an Engineering Inspector of the Ministry of Health into the Council’s proposals for Sewerage and Sewage Disposal to serve practically all the inhabited portions of the Rural District. The Council’s proposals were those contained in their Consultant Engineer’s Report of 1945. This Report stressed the desirability of keeping in view the ultimate ideal sewerage system to be aimed at for the District. In particular the Consultants outlined a comprehensive scheme for the drainage of the Chelmer Valley from Thaxted down- stream to Felstead incorporating the outfalls of the systems to serve Stebbing and Barnston. This scheme would obviate the necessity for reconstructing the existing obsolete works at Thaxted and Dunmow as well as providing a new service for the intermediate villages. For the remainder of the Rural District no such comprehensive systems are possible and separate works were proposed for Takeley, High Easter, High Roding, White Roding and Little Hallingbury. Other smaller works were proposed for the remaining and less densely populated parts of the District. There was no opposition to the Council’s proposals, either from members of the public or from the representatives of other statutory bodies with interests in the Rural District. At the end of the year the Council were awaiting the Minister’s decision on the scheme. New Works and Connections to Sewer. Work was carried on during the year on laying several lengths of sewer which had been approved after a previous local investigation. These works were undertaken in the various parishes as follows: — (a) Little Canfield: Laying of the sewer from the new Council Houses at Mill Court to the site of the new temporary treatment works south of the railway, on the west bank of the River Roding. This disposal works will, when completed according to the original design, also deal with the drainage from the “Four Ashes” at Takeley east- wards along Stane Street to Canfield End. Construction of the treat- ment plant had been commenced before the end of the year. (b) Broxted: Laying of the sewer at Church End to serve the new Council Houses. Work had also been commenced on the new sewage disposal plant north of Broxted Hall, which will eventually serve the length of the parish down to Molehill Green. (c) Little Dunmow: No separate treatment plant is required for this village as drainage into the adjacent existing Felstead Disposal Works is practicable. By the end of the year all main sewers in the village had been laid. As the rate of house building in the District accelerated, there was an increasing number of new connections to the sewer. During 1948 there were 70 properties connected for the first time, 67 of these being new buildings. Of the total of new connections 35 were made to the Great Dunmow system, 32 to Felstead, 1 to Thaxted, and 2 to the Hatfield Heath system. Sewage Disposal Works. The Council’s existing sewage treatment plants continued to operate as efficiently as their capacities permitted. Thus, while the small and comparatively recent Works at Hatfield Heath and Hatfield Broad Oak constantly yielded satisfactory effluents, the older obsoles- cent Works at Great Dunmow and Thaxted continually failed, and that by a considerable margin, to yield an effluent with the prescribed standards for the impurity figure and content of suspended matter. The Council’s proposals for their new scheme of sewerage and sewage disposal for the District include either the abolition or the reconstruc- tion of the two existing Works at Great Dunmow and Thaxted. The Works at Felstead showed a slight improvement in the aver- age quality of the effluent produced, although not to the extent anti- cipated after the modifications made to the plant in the previous year. Duplication of the existing humus tank capacity at these Works was being undertaken at the end of the year in order that the plant should be capable of dealing with the additional sewage from Little Dunmow and other sewer extensions contemplated on the Felstead system. The Council’s Consultant Engineers have also advised that sludge drying beds be provided to replace the existing somewhat unsatisfactory sludge trenches. If, in addition the sewage from Stebbing were to be treated at Felstead Disposal Works, enlargement of all sections of the latter would be necessary. The Dunmow Aerodrome Sewage Works at Great Easton had to deal with only a slight flow during the year and effluent samples were generally satisfactory. Should the proposal to construct a trunk sewer along the Chelmer Valley prove unacceptable, an alternative sugges- tion is that the Upper Chelmer Valley be sewered from Thaxted to Great Easton and that the sewage should be pumped to the Aerodrome Works, if these latter can be acquired by the Council on reasonable terms. Small treatment plants for newly erected Council Houses have had to be constructed at several sites in the District in advance of the implementation of the principal scheme of sewerage. As the cost of cesspool emptying is considerable and the Council have no such service of their own, such small treatment plants are more or less essential for the avoidance of serious nuisance which would arise from houses equipped with adequate facilities for the use of water. One other important point in regard to works operation and maintenance has been stressed by the Council’s Consultant Engineers and that is the imminent necessity of appointing an experienced fore- man to take over responsibility under the Surveyor for the operation of the Works in the District. The advantage of a mobile gang under such a man over the present system of one unskilled man looking after each Works as at present, are obvious. Rivers and Streams There was no improvement, neither was there any marked deter- ioration in the condition of the several rivers and streams in the Rural District which have now suffered pollution in varying degrees for a considerable number of years. No new sources of pollution arose during the year. The River Chelmer, in its course from north to south-east through the District still receives pollution from the outfalls of the Thaxted and Great Dunmow Sewage Disposal Works and, to a lesser extent, by drainage from Duton Hill, Great and Little Easton. These sources of pollution, will, it is hoped, be among the first to be dealt with when the new sewerage scheme gets under weigh. Similarly other sites of pollution on Stebbing Brook, Barnston Brook and the Pincey Brook at Takeley will fall to be dealt with. Public Cleansing The established system of refuse collection continued in operation throughout the year. Until the autumn, the Council had to continue using the tipping site adjoining the Sewage Disposal Works at Great Dunmow. In October, a public inquiry was held by an inspector of the Ministry of Health into the Council’s request that a Compulsory Purchase Order be made in respect of a site including old gravel pits at Marks Hill, Great Dunmow. At the inquiry, it was possible to come to a tempor- ary arrangement with the owner of the site that tipping should com- mence forthwith. This was accordingly done. A new Refuse Collection Vehicle was acquired during the year and is a great improvement upon its immediate predecessor which was little more than an open lorry. Sanitary Inspection of the Area A detailed schedule of inspections carried out, and visits made, by the Council’s Sanitary Inspectors, will be found in the Report of the Chief Sanitary Inspector. Tents, Vans and Sheds In the Report of the Chief Sanitary Inspector will be found a list of sites in use during the year, together with the type of dwelling on the site and the population on each site. It will be seen that there has been a considerable increase in the numbers of this type of dwel- ling in the District in recent years, and particularly as compared with the pre-war years. Although several families have already been re- housed from these sites, there has been no decrease in the total number of habitations on these sites, nor in the number of people living in them. In addition to the sites listed there are always considerable num- bers of seasonal workers in agriculture in the District who live in temporary accommodation. The season for this type of dwelling now seems to extend over the greater part of the year. The Council have no bye-laws for regulating tents, vans and sheds in the District, and operate Section 269 of the Public Health Act, 1936. The relevant sections 105-111 of the Essex County Council Act of 1933 are not applicable to the Rural District. Insect Pests There was very little in the nature of vermin infestation exper- ienced during the year. The increasing use by the public of the modern insecticides would appear to be having some effect on the incidence of such pests as the house fly, but much still remains to be done in that direction. Treatments given by the Council’s Officers during the year are mentioned in the Chief Sanitary Inspector’s Report. It will be ob- served that the Cluster Fly, which, although an unlikely vector of disease, has considerable nuisance value, is apparently becoming more frequent in this, as in adjoining Districts. Factories In the table on page 23 are given the number of factories on the register in the Rural District, together with particulars of inspections made, defects found and remedied, by the Council’s Officers during the year. Very few persons in the District are engaged in outwork for factories. Seasonal work in agriculture absorbs many who might otherwise be employed as outworkers. Schools Some further progress was made in 1948 towards bringing the standard of sanitary accommodation in the rural schools in the area Factories Act, 1937 1. INSPECTIONS for purposes of provisions as to health (in- cluding inspections made by Sanitary Inspectors). Number on Register Number of PREMISES Inspections Written Notices Occupiers Prosecuted (i) \ Factories in which Section 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 are to be enforced by Local Authorities 20 22 — — (ii) Factories not included in (i) in which Section 7 is enforced by the Local Authority 30 34 (iii) Other premises in which Section 7 is enforced by the Local Authority (excluding out-workers premises) — — — — Total 50 56 — — 2. Cases in which DEFECTS were found. PARTICULARS Number of cases in which defects were found Number of cases in which Found Remed- ied Refe to H.M. Inspec- tor rred by H.M. Inspec- tor prosecu- tions were in- stituted Want of cleanliness (S.l.) 6 4 Overcrowding (S.2.) — — — — — Unreasonable temperatures (S.3.) ... — — — — — Inadequate ventilation ... — — — — — Ineffective drainage of floors — — — — — Sanitary conveniences (S.7.) — — — — — (a) insufficient 1 1 — — — (b) unsuitable or defective 2 2 — — — (c) not separate for sexes — — — — — Other offences (not including offences relating to Outwork) ... — — 1 Total 9 7 — 1 — more into line with present day practice. In all the schools where pail closets are in use the Essex Education Committee have entered into contracts with private firms to empty these pails, usually twice weekly. The emptying is usually done during school hours. All the schools in the District now participate in the school meals service. Rodent Control For their own undertakings the Council have entered into a con- tract with the Pest Control department of the Ministry of Agriculture, through the Essex Agricultural Committee, whereby a minimum of four treatments annually are given to all Sewage Works, Refuse Tips and the like which show any evidence of infestation. All sewers are tested annually to detect the presence or otherwise of rodents, and treatment, if required, is given. This being an area rural in character, the major part of the rod- ent control falls on the County Agricultural Committee, who inspect and treat all agricultural land and buildings. For infestations in pri- vate dwellings and non-agricultural premises the Council’s staff under- take the treatment. In connection with the latter service 154 visits were paid during the year. The agents used by the Council’s Officers for rodent destruction were arsenic, red squill and barium carbonate in each case after suit- able pre-baiting. Housing The year 1948 saw the first tangible advance in solving the post- war housing problem in the Dunmow Rural District. A total of 156 new dwellings were made available during the year, 128 of these being new Council Houses, 12 new houses for private ownership and the re- maining 16 being conversions for private owners. The Council Houses completed were distributed in the various parishes as follows: — Great Dunmow Little Canfield Broxted Leaden Roding Little Dunmow Little Hallingbury 38 Felstead 8 8 Great Hallingbury 8 8 Great Easton (Duton Hill) 16 6 Margaret Roding 4 2 Stebbing 2 2 High Easter 2 The wide dispersal of the building sites throughout the District, coupled with the comparatively small number of housing units which can be apportioned to each site, from the annual allocation of houses to the District, might at first sight appear to be factors in decreasing the rate of progress on new house building. This has not proved to be the case in the Dunmow Rural District so far. It has been the Council’s policy to divide each of their allocations of new houses as equably as possible between the various parishes, having some regard to the numbers on the respective waiting lists for such accommodation. Lat- terly it was becoming apparent that more advantageous results might be obtained by building houses in greater numbers on fewer sites, provided these sites were those where services had already been pro- vided. Accordingly the latest allocation of new Council House con- struction has been apportioned to sites along those lines. It is anticipated that upwards of a further 78 new houses will have been completed for the Council by the end of 1949. At the end of the year houses were under construction, or contracts had been let on the following sites: — Thaxted 10 Hatfield Broad Oak 14 One unfit house was demolished in 1948 and undertakings were received by the Council from the owners of four other such houses that these would not be relet until reconditioned to the satisfaction of the Council. It continues to be a matter for regret that there are still numerous houses in the unfit category throughout the District which cannot yet be dealt with, either for demolition or extensive recondi- tioning as required, because of the lack of alternative accommodation for those at present living in them. The number of housing applicants on the Council’s waiting lists at 31st December, 1948, was 450, compared with 630 at the end of 1947. There were 153 marriages in the Rural District in 1948, and the majority of newly-wed couples have their names on the housing waiting list. The 1948 total of 450 housing applicants includes the names of 67 families then resident outside the boundaries of the Dunmow Rural District. The apparent discrepancy between the total figures for the two years is largely accounted for by the number of applicants whose names have appeared on the lists of other local auth- orities beside Dunmow, and who, presumably, have obtained houses elsewhere during the year. One rather disquieting feature of the present housing problem has been observed on a few occasions recently. The cost of erecting the post-war house is considerable, and, as a consequence, the rents have to be made correspondingly high. In one or two instances families whose existing accommodation was inadequate or defective have, for this reason, refused the Council’s offer of a new house. Some have gone into the older and cheaper type of house whose amenities are not of the same standard as those now being built; others have, for the present, remained in their existing unsatisfactory conditions. It is not to be inferred that conditions are approximating, as yet, to those ob- served in some areas before the recent war, where the cost of the house rent was such that the family budget was upset and the nutritional state of the family thereby suffered. Nevertheless, careful watch must always be kept on this aspect of the problem. An enquiry was made during the year into the degree of utilisa- tion of the available accommodation in 609 Council Houses according to the numbers of rooms and the numbers of persons living in each house. The findings are set out below in tabular form. No. of Occmpants 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Total No. of occupants i All types of houses 31 93 124 146 88 51 30 23 11 7 4 1 2,539 Single bedroomed Bungalows (20) 14 5 1 28 } Three bedroomed Houses (559) 17 88 123 142 84 48 25 17 8 4 3 2,294 1 1 Four bedroomed Houses i 1 3 4 3 5 6 3 3 1 1 217 From these findings, and from perusal of the family circumstances of the applicants on the Council’s waiting lists, it is fairly obvious that greater diversity in the type and size of house being constructed would be an advantage in housing the maximum number of family units in the most economic manner. There is, for instance, a definite demand for two-bedroomed houses, as opposed to the almost universal two and a half or three-bedroomed type now being erected, while an age- ing population will also require, and would be better catered for, by the erection of increasing numbers of small easily run bungalows. So far, the Council have only made tentative efforts, in a very few cases, to transfer families from one Council House to another in order to decrease the disparity between the size of the house and the size of the family in occupation. Their efforts in this direction have met with but little success because of the obvious difficult questions of re- moval expenses, compensation for garden produce, alteration of fittings and furnishings and such like to be considered in each case. It was not possible to make much progress with the Housing Sur- vey of the District during the year, but arrangements have been made for a systematic parish to parish survey to be got under weigh in 1949. The survey and classification of the first 100 houses had been com- pleted by the end of 1948. Inspection and Supervision of Food Milk Supply Until the “appointed day” for the coming into operation of the Food and Drugs (Milk and Dairies) Act, 1944, which, inter alia will transfer the registration of dairy farms and of dairy farmers to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, all milk-producing premises in the Dunmow Rural District continue to be registered by the Council, under the Milk and Dairies Regulations and licences in respect of producers of designated milks continue to be issued by the Essex County Council under the Milk (Special Designations) Regulations. A close liaison has again been maintained between the Essex County Council and the Rural District Council in their respective spheres of responsibility. In every case, before a licence to produce designated milk is issued by the County Council, the particular premises are re- quired to reach the standard of fitness indicated by the Milk and Dairies Regulations. The number of registered milk producers in the Rural District increased by fourteen to a total of 110 in 1948. Of these producers 81 are wholesalers, 10 are wholesale and retail producers and 19 are retail producers. The 110 milk producers in the District include 45 farms produc- ing Tuberculin Tested milk, 13 producing Accredited milk and the remaining 52, undesignated milk. The latter group includes retail producers, four of whom also retail Tuberculin Tested and two of whom also retail Pasteurised Milk. In addition to the above producers, five premises in the District are registered by the Rural District Council as retail dairies and, of these five, three are licensed to sell Tuberculin Tested milk in bottles. During the year the regular inspections of premises concerned with the production and sale of milk were maintained. As regards the taking of samples of milk in the District the same procedure as in previous years was carried on, whereby officials of the Essex County Council sampled from the designated producers, the Inspectors of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries took samples from all sources under the National Milk Testing and Advisory Scheme in regard to the keeping quality of milk, while the Council’s own officers sampled for biological examination and in cases referred by other authorities or on complaint from consumers. Details of samples taken and of the results of these will be found in the Report of the Chief Sanitary Inspector. Meat As in previous years the bulk of the meat consumed in the Dis- trict comes from Ministry of Food Slaughterhouses situated outside the Rural District in accordance with the Ministry’s arrangements for centralised slaughtering in this area. The one Ministry of Food Slaughterhouse in the Rural District is at the Dunmow Bacon Factory, for pigs only, and is in continuous operation for that purpose. Meat inspection (post-mortem) is conducted at the Dunmow Bacon Factory by a Veterinary Inspector employed by the Council, relief duties being carried out by the Council’s Meat and Food Inspec- tors. Ante-mortem inspections are not carried out as a routine. In addition, the keeping of private pigs, which habit is on the increase over the District generally, has necessitated a considerable amount of meat inspection being done by the Council’s Inspectors when, as is frequently the case, these pigs are slaughtered by private licence in private slaughterhouses in the District. There were 203 pigs’ carcases inspected in these circumstances during the year. Inspection of meat exposed for sale in butchers’ shops is under- taken by the Council’s Inspectors. In this category 844 lbs of home killed and 8 lbs of imported meat were condemned as unfit for human consumption during the year as well as 114 lbs of offals. A detailed summary of the various categories of food condemned in the District in 1948 is given in the Report of the Chief Sanitary Inspector. The table below gives details of all animals slaughtered for human consumption in the District in 1948 at the Dunmow Bacon Factory and in private slaughterhouses and of the carcases or parts of carcases which, upon inspection, were found to be unfit. It is be noted that there was a one hundred per cent, meat inspection throughout the year. Carcases inspected and Condemned: — Dunmow Private Bacon Factory Slaughterhouses Pigs Pigs Sheep Calves Number killed (if known)f 34,379 203 3 Number inspected ... 34,379 203 3 All diseases except Tuberculosis. Whole carcases condemned ... 29 — — Carcases of which some part or organ was condemned 3,947 3 — Percentage of the number inspected affected with disease other than tuberculosis ... 11.56% 1-47% — Tuberculosis only. Whole carcases condemned ... 123 — — Carcases of which some part or organ was condemned 1,748 14 — Percentage of the number inspected affected with tuberculosis 5.44% 6.89% — 4 4 fThis figure does not include pigs arriving dead or died in lairage except when dressed contrary to instructions. Ice Cream Since the war years the production of ice cream in the District has been on a very small scale, and since the coming into operation of the Ice Cream (Heat Treatment) Regulations, 1947, no ice cream has been produced locally. There were in 1949, nine vendors of ice cream registered by the Council under Section 158 of the Essex County Council Act of 1933. Eight of these retailers deal in pre- packed ice cream, while the other sells a cold mix product. Again as in previous years very little ice cream came into the District during 1948 from wholesalers elsewhere. There is, however, a considerable incursion into various parts of the District of itinerant ice cream ven- dors. The registrations of such are checked with the local authority in whose area the vehicles are kept. Samples of ice cream are taken by the Council’s Inspectors and follow-up and advisory visits are paid to ice cream premises when such appears to be necessary. Copies of the sample results obtained in 1948 are given in the Report of the Chief Sanitary Inspector. Other Foods Particulars are given in the Chief Sanitary Inspector’s Report of other foods found upon inspection in shops and other premises during the year by the Council’s Meat and Food Inspectors to be unfit for human consumption. The amount of food involved was on a par with the amounts similiarly condemned in previous years, Prevalence of and Control over Infectious Disease Although the total number of cases of infectious disease notified in the Rural District during the year was higher than in the two pre- ceding years, no less than 229 out of the total of 248 were cases of measles or whooping cough. There were no deaths in 1948 attribut- able to any infectious diesease. The table on page 35 shows the incidence and age distribution of cases of notifiable disease, other than tuberculosis, which is mentioned separately in this section, notified in the Dunmow Rural District during 1948. A brief comment on the occurrence of the separate infectious diseases, notifiable and otherwise, is made below. Poliomyelitis. There were two cases notified and in both cases the diagnosis was confirmed after admission to hospital. In addition, a suspected case of clinical diphtheria was subsequently diagnosed as one of abor- tive poliomyelitis. In the latter instance the main feature had been a paralysis of the palate of short duration. Another suspected case of poliomyelitis admitted to hospital was found there to be a case of mild benign chorio-meningitis. The first of the true cases of poliomyelitis was that of a pupil at a girls’ boarding school in the District. There were 74 boarders at this school at the beginning of the spring term, in January, 1948. Five days after the school had reassembled, one girl complained of a sore throat, the following day two others had raised temperatures with headache and aching of the eyes, and, on the day after, five others had similar signs and symptoms. One of these five was later found to be suffering from poliomyelitis. For the next week, there occurred each day two fresh cases of what was apparently a minor outbreak of a mild influenza-like illness. In all 21 pupils, but none of the staff suffered from such illness. The majority had recovered in two or, at most, three days and in only one instance was the duration as long as seven days, apart from the girl who was diagnosed as suffering from polio- myelitis. In her case a mild pyrexia had been sustained for four days, but no other symptoms had developed. On the fifth day there was a complaint of some numbness in the leg, but this passed off in two days. The temperature had returned to normal but in a further two days there was a complaint of pain in the leg and on the following day the patient was admitted to hospital as a case of poliomyelitis. The school did not close, although many of the pupils were tem- porarily removed by parents. The Medical Officers of Health of each local authority involved were notified and, as far as is known, no fur- ther cases developed in contacts, or through association with contacts, of this case. No previous contact between the patient or any other of the pupils of this school and any known case of poliomyelitis could be established. The second case in the District was also one of a girl attending a boarding school, but in this instance, the school was situated outside the District and the patient had been home for the Easter vacation just three weeks before she was taken ill. There had been a case of poliomyelitis at this particular school before the term ended. Diphtheria. The one case of diphtheria was that of a child who had not, as far as could be ascertained, been immunised. The patient was re- moved to hospital and made a good recovery. One other suspected case of diphtheria was admitted to hospital, but in this instance the diagnosis was not confirmed. Diphtheria Prophylaxis. After 5th July, 1948, the Rural District Council ceased to be responsible for this branch of the health service in their area. In the first half of the year 55 children had completed a full course of im- munisation, while a further 17 were given secondary “boosting” doses. The campaign for the protective inoculation of children against diphtheria in this District began towards the end of 1940. From that time until the end of June, 1948, the Rural District Council combined with the Essex County Council in this work and during that period 1,561 children under five years of age at the date of injection and 2,399 children in the age group 5-15 years had been immunised. These figures do not include many of the children who were treated by priv- ate arrangements. Even so, the number of children inoculated under the local authorities arrangements, represents as far as the under 5’s are concerned, 55 per cent, of all children born in the District and surviving the first year of life, together with the temporary war-time residents in that age group in the period 1941 to mid-194 8. It is reasonably certain that the addition of the children immunised priv- ately in the latter years of the period would bring the percentage up to 75 approximately. The new scheme operating by the County Council which will record the great majority of the children treated privately will give a truer picture of the-state of immunity in the District. During the eight year period since the commencement of the Diphtheria Immunisation scheme, there were ten confirmed cases of diphtheria, one of which proved fatal. With one exception, none of these cases had been immunised and in the exception it could not be determined whether the child had been immunised or not. Measles. There were a considerable number of cases of measles, the maj- ority of which occurred in the period April-August. Eleven cases occurred in the first quarter of the year, seven of them being at Hat- field Broad Oak. Thereafter Felst;ead parish was the centre principally affected, having close on 70 cases. Next came Dunmow with some 25 cases. Elsewhere there were only at most a few sporadic cases in each locality. One case of Measles was removed to hospital as conditions were unsuitable for nursing at home. Whooping Cough. During the period of prevalence of measles, whooping cough was also prevalent in the Rural District. Nearly half of the cases occurred in Great Dunmow but the remainder were fairly widely scattered throughout the area. No scheme of preventive inoculation against whooping cough was in operation in the District, but quite a few children are treated by private arrangement. Scarlet Fever. Only one of the seven cases notified was removed to hospital and that was because of a complicating otitis media. Of the total of seven cases two were in one family, and the onset was apparently on the same day. In two instances there was a history of sore throats without a rash in other older members of the family some few days before the onset in the patient. Puerperal pyrexia. Of three notified cases one developed the condition some four days after admission to hospital for confinement, the second on the day of admission. The third case occurred in the patient’s home and was of short duration. Infective Hepatitis. All three notified cases were from Hatfield Broad Oak parish, but no ocher connection between them could be traced. The interval between the dates of onset in the first two cases was five months and there were two and a half months between the second and third case. Other Diseases. One case of suspected cerebro spinal meningitis was admitted to hospital but the ultimate diagnosis was pneumococcal meningitis. Of the non-notifiable diseases, only a few cases of mumps and chicken-pox occurred, the former in school children at Broxted and Hatfield Heath in January, and the latter particularly at Great Easton school in November, as well as a few cases at Hatfield Broad Oak, White Roding and Dunmow in the first quarter of the year. T uberculosis. In the table below have been set out particulars as to age and sex of new cases notified, and of deaths of cases of the disease in the District in the year 1948. Out of the 17 new cases reported, six were of persons who moved into the District during the year, having pre- viously contracted the disease elsewhere, two of these have again left this District, while two of the cases notified for the first time in the District were only temporary residents and have since moved to other districts. Age Periods (Years) Respiratory New Cases Non- respiratory Deaths Respiratory Non- respiratory M F M F M F M F 0-1 1-5 5-10 — — 1 — — — — — 10-15 ... 1 — — 1 1 — — —- 15-20 20-25 ... 3 4 — 1 — — — — 25-35 — 2 — 1 1 — — — 35-45 ... — 3 — — — — — — 45-55 55-65 — — — — 1 — — — 65 and upwards ... — — — — 1 — — — Totals ... 4 9 1 3 4 - — 13 There were no deaths of unnotified cases. At 31st December, 1948, the total number of cases of tuberculosis in the Register of the Rural District was 95, and these were made up as follows: — Males Females Respiratory Non respiratory Respiratory Non respiratory 29 23 28 15 The total shows a considerable drop from the corresponding figure for the past few years, but, as the bulk of the decrease is due to persons moving out of the District since the end of the war, and many of these had moved in during the war, these figures cannot yet be said to reflect any marked decline in the incidence of the disease in the District. The Council have continued their policy of giving some measure of priority in housing to families in which are cases of tuberculosis of a potentially infective nature, or cases whose recovery is prejudiced by unsatisfactory housing conditions. Disinfection of premises and bedding after death or removal from a household of an “open” case of tuberculosis continue to be offered free by the Council. The service is free and was taken advantage of in practically every case in which it was offered. A few residents of the Rural District took advantage of the pre- sence of a Mass Radiography Unit in Braintree during July to be X-rayed. No new cases from the Dunmow area were brought to light as a result of this investigation. NOTIFIABLE DISEASES (OTHER THAN TUBERCULOSIS) NOTIFIED IN 1948 sqiBap jo jaquinu jeiox I l 1 l 1 1 1 jBiidsoH oj pawiuipe S3SB3 i—i CO y—• i—i t-h CO t—i 1 Os NUMBER OF CASES NOTIFIED At Ages—Years 65 & over 1 l 1 l 1 1 1 45-65 1 l 1 l 1 1 CO or Tf 1 «n m ~ 1 ! A 1 1 1 •'t «n m O CO m . H r-H 00 " o CO 1 in r-H 1 " 1 1 1 1 CO 10-15 rl N H OO H 1 m r-H o H 1 »n 48 67 " 122 4-5 I 22 1 26 i m cn os 1 22 2-3 os rn 1 1 22 co 1 r-H | l> so 1 m r-H u <u T3 G 3 | Os m 1 r-H At all Ages oocooo\T-im*-iT-(co o CO r-H r-H 248 ^ NOTIFIABLE DISEASE Scarlet Fever ... Acute Poliomyelitis El 00 3 O J 00 G rH Ck o o £ Measles Diphtheria Puerperal Pyrexia Acute Pneumonia uysentery Infective Hepatitis Totals Public Health Department, The Council House, Great Dunmow. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I beg to present to you the annual report of the work of the dep- artment during the year 1948. The past year has been noteworthy in that the Council’s proposals for Sewerage and Sewage Disposal of the whole of the district were submitted to a Public Inquiry, held by the Minister of Health on the 21st October, 1948. The year marked the culmination of the years of planning which had gone on even during the war years. The result of the inquiry had not been made known at the end of the year. In the field of water supply more positive progress was achieved and work to the value of £49,000 was placed on contract and commenced. Progress in building houses continued through the year with a better rhythm, 128 Council Houses being completed. Staff: No change took place in the staff during the year. Sanitary Inspection of the Area The Council’s Sanitary Inspectors made 3,803 visits and inspec- tions in the course of the year. Details of these are given below: Housing and Public Health Acts ... ... ... 754 Complaints (other than dwelling houses) ... ... ... 183 Slaughterhouses ... ... ... ... ... 184 Other Meat and Food Visits ... ... ... 69 Shop Acts ... ... ... ... ... 57 Milk and Dairies ... ... ... ... 282 Factories and Workplaces ... ... ... ... 34 Tents, Vans and Sheds ... ... ... ... 113 Places of Amusement ... ... ... ... 2 Schools ... ... ... ... ... 17 Offensive Accumulations ... ... ... ... 5 Infectious Disease Prevention ... ... ... 26 Water Supplies ... ... ... ... ... 48 Streams and Watercourses ... ... ... ... 26 Drainage ... ... ... ... ... 110 Cesspools, Septic Tanks and Pail Closets ... ... 15 Sewage Disposal ... ... ... ... ... 53 Refuse Disposal ... ... ... ... ... 79 Rodent Control ... ... ... ... ... 154 Nuisances and Notices Served. Nuisances detected ... ... ... ... 128 Informal Notices Served ... ... ... ... 103 Notices outstanding 1st January, 1948 ..; ... ... 44 Notices Outstanding 31st December, 1948 ... ... 53 Statutory Notices Served * ... ... ... ... 3 Legal Proceedings ... ... ... ... 0 Shops: No formal action was necessary during the year Tents, Vans and Sheds At the end of the year in addition to seasonal workers in agricul- ture, sites were used at: — * Type Total No. of Occupants No. of Sites No. of Sites pre-war Caravans Tents Huts Buses Adults Children Takeley 2 1 4 2 — — 4 11 Great Dunmow 2 — 3 — 2 — 7 4 Great Canfield 2 1 3 — — — 5 — Hatfield Broad Oak 3 1 6 2 1 — 18 13 Stebbing 4 3 23 4 6 3 51 16 Felstead 6 3 9 — 7 — 15 4 Bamston 1 — 1 — 1 — 1 — Thaxted 2 — 3 — 3 - 11 — Totals 22 9 52 8 20 3 112 48 There has been an increase in the number of static caravan dwellers, this no doubt reflects the shortage of Housing Accommoda- tion. No serious nuisance occurred during the year on any site. Vermin Eight premises were disinfested during the year. 3 for Cluster Flies. 2 for Fleas. 3 for Bed Bugs. The infestations of flies and fleas were treated with marked success by a 5% solution of D.D.T. The bedbugs responded to treatment by Zaldecide containing D.D.T. No major problem was presented in this respect. Water Supply The water supplies of the area were maintained during the year. The total number of gallons pumped at Thaxted was 120,211,000 The total number of gallons pumped at Dunmow was 15,235,000 Total 135,446,000 The supply from the Herts and Essex Water Co. was maintained and during the year the company erected a steel tank at Bedlars Green, Great Hallingbury to increase the pressure in that area and maintain supply during periods of peak demand. The Council commenced work on the first part of the main exten- sions, and. at the end of the year the following mains had been laid or were being laid: — Brick End to Pledgdon Green ... 3 in. 1,100 yards Sugstye Green to Cherry Green ... 3 in. 2,400 yards Thaxted Pumping Station to Cutlers Green Tower 9 in. 1,760 yards Work on the new borehole was commenced in the Autumn and early in December when the depth of 280 ft. had been reached a stratum of sand, some 12 ins. thick which had been encountered at 255 ft. deep, came into the borehole. The Council’s Consultants were considering the best course to take at the close of the year. New Connections. No. of Houses connected to the Council’s main during 1948 205 No. of Metered Supplies 19 No. of Houses connected to the Herts and Essex Water Co.’s Mains 22 Sewerage and Sewage Disposal During the year 70 premises were connected to the Sewer: Dunmow 35 Felstead 32 Thaxted 1 Hatfield Broad Oak 2 The Council’s proposals for Sewerage and Sewage Disposal were the subject of an enquiry held by Col. Lowe, M.C., on Thursday, 21st October, 1948. At the close of the year no decision had been received. The proposals include the sewering of the Chelmer Valley from Thaxted Works to Felstead, a scheme which would deal with the ob- solete works at Thaxted and Great Dunmow and the pollution of the River Chelmer which occurs in the valley between these places, notably at Duton Hill, Great Easton (Bridgefoot), Little Easton (Duck Street and Mill End), Bamston (Bamston Brook, a tributary of the River Chelmer), Stebbing Brook (Church End, Bran End and Town Mill). The proposals for Takeley will abate the nuisances existing at Takeley Street where the Pincey Brook is polluted. Great Canfield and Little Canfield are dealt with in the report as is the River Roding. Work on part of the scheme authorised at a local investigation held previously was eventually commenced during the year and by the end of the year sewers were complete at: — Little Canfield (part of) Broxted (Church End), (part of) Little Dunmow (except short length west of Ivy Farm) Work on the treatment plant at Little Canfield and Broxted was in hand. The existing works at Dunmow and Thaxted continue to yield unsatisfactory samples. At Felstead the results with one exception show an improvement over the previous year. Hatfield Broad Oak and Hatfield Heath continue to give satisfactory results. Dunmow Aero- drome. This works gives satisfactory results. Stansted Aerodrome (Coopers End). The area served by this works is now to all intents and purposes unoccupied. Sewerage and Sewage Disposal for Isolated Houses, Sites, Etc. With the need for houses to serve the agricultural industry, the increasing availability of main water supply and the greater facilities for the use of water now being installed in modern houses, the problem of disposal of sewage is much aggravated and is becoming serious both to the occupants of the house and to the population generally by the increased pollution of the soil and ditches, etc. Since an all- embracing sewerage system is not practicable in the present economic situation, recourse has been made to cesspools and small treatment works serving individual groups of houses. The cost of emptying cesspools is a very heavy burden owing to the volume of sewage re- moved. Because of these considerations, small treatment plants are being installed; such plants are operating at Little Canfield, High Roding, Leaden Roding and White Roding and are being kept under observation to see as to the quality of the effluent. On some sites it will be necessary for the sewage to be lifted for treatment and the expansion of the electricity supply lines is helping to provide a con- venient source of power. The selection of further housing sites should be carefully made, in order that gravitational schemes of sewerage and sewage disposal can be installed. < Public Cleansing The Collection was maintained during the year: —Weekly in the Lighting Areas. Fortnightly in the Non-Lighting Areas. The delivery of the Compression Refuse Collector in August has given practically dustless loading and greatly improved service in this respect. On 21st October, 1948 an enquiry was held on the Council’s application to acquire land (Disused Gravelpits) at Merks Hill, Great Dunmow for use as a refuse tip. The proceedings were adjourned and the owner invited the Council to tip there immediately on a lease. The offer was accepted. The estimated weight of refuse collected in 1948 was 2084 tons. Housing Survey Little progress was made on the survey last year. Such work as was done being concentrated in parts of the District that were last surveyed in 1934. With the greater freedom of the building trade to carry out repair work it is hoped that the survey will gather mom- entum in 1949. I Housing During the year 400 houses were inspected and recorded. One house was demolished.. 4 128 12 16 156 At the close of the year there were 64 houses actively under con- struction. Authorised but not under construction 42. The number of applications for Council Houses at 31st December, 1948, 450: of which number 67 were from places outside the District. No. of Houses in respect of which Undertakings under the Housing Act, 1936, were accepted No. of Council Houses completed during 1948 No. of Houses built by Private Enterprise during 1948 ... No. of Conversions by Private Enterprise during 1948 ... Samples taken during the Samples Methylene Blue 1 Biological 40 Examination Milk year gave the following results: Satisfactory Unsatisfactory 1 30 1 Positive (1 Guinea Pig died prematurely) Ice Cream There were 9 Vendors of Ice Cream registered in the District; of these 1 sold a Cold Mix product, and the remainder were selling pre-packed Ice Cream. In addition itinerant vendors travelled to the district during the season. Nine samples were taken and the results were as follows: — Methylene Blue Ministry of Health No. of Colonies Coliform B.coli Reaction Provisional Grading No. 1. 800 0 0 hours ajl * 2 I No. 2. 1200 0 0 AX ‘2 I No. 3. 13000 3 tubes 0 4 II No. 4. 700 0 0 ax ‘2 I No. 5. 500 0 0 AX ‘ 2 I No. 6. 1800 0 0 3 II No. 7 500 0 0 4i I No. 8. 90000 3 tubes 0 1 2 III No. 9. 79000 3 tubes 1 0 IV Details of Meat snd Other Foods Condemned during the year hy the Council’s Staff Carcase meat condemned in butchers’ shops was: 844 lbs. Home Killed. 8 lbs. Imported. This was usually because of bone taint. Also condemned in butchers’ shops: Pigs Heads 70 lbs. Pigs Lungs 8 lbs. Pigs Mesenteries 81bs. Pigs Liver 24 lbs. Calf Liver 4 lbs. The following foodstuffs were found upon inspection to be unfit for human consumption: Margarine 3 lbs. 14 ozs. Lard 2 lbs. 8 ozs. Cheese 2 lbs. 8 ozs. Tinned Meats 126 Tins Tinned Fish 32 Tins Tinned Fruit 34 Tins Tinned Milk 37 Tins Miscellaneous Tinned Foods 79 Tins Miscellaneous Packed Foods 383 Packets Bread 180 Loaves Fish 12 Stones Flour 60 lbs. Bakehouses The number of Bakehouses in operation at the end of the year was 16. No unsatisfactory conditions existed other than occasional neglect of limewashing which was dealt with as a routine matter. Facilities for Washing of Beer Glasses During the year discussions were held with the representatives of Brewers to see what steps could be taken to improve the facilities for the washing of beer glasses. Rainfall Since 15th March, the rainfall has been recorded at Thaxted Waterworks. The figures are given below: — March 0.60 ■ April 2.19 May 1.99 June 2.56 Heaviest Fall: 1.05 inches July 1.40 3rd August, 1948 August 3.84 September 1.21 October 1.79 Longest Period of Drought: November 1.46 15 days December 1.96 19th July to 2nd August, 1948 19.00 inches In conclusion I would like to thank the Council for their confi- dence, and the staff for their loyalty and assistance during the year. I remain, Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Obedient Servant, H. B. GARDNER Chief Sanitary Inspector and Surveyor |[A ■ \