Routine Inspections Of Dwellings

Chronicle (Levin), 4 December 1948, Page 3

Routine Inspections Of Dwellings

At Tuesday evening's meeting of the Shannon Bbrough Council a memorandum concerning the routine sanitary inspection of dwellings was received from the Medical Offlcer of Health, Palmerston North. The memorandum was as follows: — "I have receive'd from the Director-General of Health a circular which draws my attention to the fact that many complaints regarding insanita'ry dwellings are received from 'the Minister of Health, and ' have to be referred For special report back through district health offlcers. The circular points out that very often these reports reveal defects of an obvious character which should have come to light when house-to-house surveys were carried- on throughout the 'district. • • "I am asked to take this matter up with the local authofities in my district and have dohe so offlcially, but I would point out, for your information,. that regular house-to-house surveys are a necessary part of the work of the sanitary inspector who should, in fact, regard this work as an important routine duty. Reports should also be kept of all houses surveyed, of any defects noted an'd of action taken to secure that these are remedied. It is necessary to pay particular attention to such houses as are rented, and also to such areas as consist largely of houses of a poor stan'dard. You should also bear in mind those houses originally , built for temporary holiday use, but which are now in permanent occupation. ■ "I think you will realise that housing and health are very clo'sely connected, and . the connection is all the more intimate in these days when so many houses are shared and in consequence overcrowded. "I shall, therefore, be glad if you will make a particular feature of this matter in your work. I shall always be glad to hear from you as to the progress made, and in particular would be glad to know of any special investigations such as might be undertaken into the matter of overcrowding in certain districts." On the suggestion of the Mayor (Mr. D. A. Fitzgerald) it was agreed that the matter be brought before the notice of the public.