116
Extract from the Report of the Executive Health Officer for 1909.
" The work accomplished with the aid of the special staff during the
" three months (1st October to 31st December 1909) covered by this Report
" may thus be tabularly indicated :—
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Wells examined for mosquito larvae
Cisterns „
„
„
Tanks
„
„
„
Wells in which larvae were found
Cisterns „
„
Tanks
„
„
Cases in which requisitions were addressed to parties
Cases of compliance
...
Cases in which sanction of the Standing Committee was
sought for taking action (section 381 of the Act)
...
Notices issued against parties
...
„
complied with
...
...
...
Prosecutions undertaken
...
...
2,507
3,107
144
908
255
40
721
129
111
13
...
2
" The permanent sanitary staff of the Department, however, continue
"to weekly inspect, for mosquito larvae, the storm water entrances, gully
"traps, catch-pits in their respective wards and treat them with pesterine as
" culicide. Considerable opposition is met with from owners of wells and
" much difficulty experienced in getting them covered. Possibly some incon-
" venience arises from the measures which have to be adopted, but unfor-
" tunately this is the case in every measure necessary for the protection of
" Public Health. And if the owners of premises where mosquito-breeding
" places are discovered would co-operate with us, an enormous amount of
" labour and correspondence would be saved and much benefit would accrue
" to the tenants and neighbours."
Extract from the Executive Health Officer's Report for
the first quarter of 1910.
" So far as the work of this Department was concerned anti-malarial
measures were continued during the quarter—
Anti-malaria! work.
inspection of wells, tanks, cisterns etc., and
" the serving of notices and asking for the sanction of the Standing
" Committee—but with very little practical result, as although up to
" 5th February sanction was given by the Standing Committee under
"section 381 of the Municipal Act, to carry out that section in the case
" of 298 persons, a week later a resolution was passed that all objections to
"the closing of wells should be laid before the Standing Committee
" and a week after a resolution was passed that all action should be stayed.
" Since the Malaria staff was appointed in October 1909, over 12,000
''inspections of houses have been made, and in every case where an
" uncovered well or cistern has been found to contain mosquito larvae
" letters have been written, and, if necessary, notices served and the
" sanction of the Standing Committee applied for: 128 wells have been
" covered, 48 filled in and 869 cisterns covered.
" The enormous amount of work done in respect of wells, tanks, cisterns,
" etc., has now come to a. standstill, in consequence of the last resolution
" of the Standing Committee that a list of only those wells which are away
" from light and air and of which the water is not used should be sent to the
" Standing Committee, and a Sub-Committee will visit these wells and
" decide what is to be done. Under these circumstances I have nothing
" to say as to the result of the work done during the quarter; as
" beyond the inspection and writing of letters and serving of notices to
" the parties in whose premises such places exist nothing has been clone,
" beyond spending a considerable amount of time and money without any
" practical result. When the Corporation in September 1909 resolved to
" adopt measures for the control of malaria and agreed to the measures
" I proposed, they also asked for a report at the end of six months:
" in that report, which will be ready next week, I propose to explain the
" position in detail."