HH62/2/SUTHER/13

Transcription

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ings in relation to an epidemic of Measles (which prevailed over the
West Coast generally) were set agoing during the early part of the year.
A great mass of the people are too distant from a doctor for
regular attendance, which in grave illness is absolutely necessary, to
be satisfactory to either doctor or patient.
Bad Drains and Water have been found here as elsewhere. In
Scourie district roads or foot-paths are pressingly required. Consider-
able overcrowding occurs in some houses, which are regular hot-beds
for producing or encouraging an attack of disease. Typhoid Fever
occurred during the end of the year. The water supplies are very
fickle and changeable, and what may be of passable purity at one
time may be polluted at another, because of the shifting nature of the
agricultural operations in fields through which water comes or cattle
congregate. And fouling of water also exists in consequence of there
being an insufficient number of privies where most required.

FARR - PopuIation, 1857; acres, 188,355 (Farr proper);
70,396 (Reay of Sutherland) added; total, 258,751.
This is the most extensive of all the Parishes, and some of the
worst examples of insanitation are to be found in it.
Visits, general and special, have been made several times to its
various districts, and, summarily, the case may be said to be - bad
drainage or none at all; heaps of refuse; and polluted water sup-
plies. In Kirkton district the largest proportion of one-roomed houses,
27·3 per cent., were found in 1881. In Portskerray and Melvich
there is much deficiency of water; what is used of good water is, as
has been reported already, so far distant and most difficult of access
that there is a high premium on its use. But of bad water the
amount used is necessarily large, and it is always liable to additional
impurity at stated times, after rain washes all readily removable filth
into surface wells or small burns. Good water can be got by
gravitation.
Portskerray (which in its rooms is second for overcrowding - 2·0
persons to each room) and Skerray are both much alike, but the first-
named is, if anything, the worse village of the two. It is not surpris-
ing to know that Typhoid has been very common in some past years.
In many places no attempt whatever is made to remove manure
heaps, which give off sickening exhalations, till a use is found for
them in agricultural work, and so Road Drains are very foul. Portskerray
could be easily drained, but the case of Skerray, in some parts, is not
so easy.
Inquiries had to be made regarding Typhoid Fever in two places,
Scarlet Fever, and Whooping Cough.
There is considerable crowding in a good number of the houses.

GOLSPIE - Population, 1451; acres, 19,690.
Many visits and investigations were made in this Parish, and the
result, in words, is as in so many others - nuisances from choked

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drains and refuse heaps, difficulties owing to irregular disposal of ash-
pits and manure which may not be taken away when no carts are
available at agreed on times; deficient supply of water in some of
the higher parts, to which the supply of pipe water cannot go at all
times; and at other parts, as at Sybil Road, it was also found to be
liable to pollution from farm steading sewage.
There is reason to believe that overcrowding exists in some of the
houses where the fishers stay. The fisherwomen are here often
exposed to hardship in carrying the fishermen to and from the boats.
Road drains have to do service as sewers for all kinds of house
refuse and slops. They have only a small fall, and so there is a
stench, because they are only surface cess-pools.
The Village comprises most of the Parish. The scavenging is
quite insufficient.

KILDONAN - Population, 1823; acres, 134,550.
This Parish comprises the large Village of Helmsdale, which is an
important fishing centre. There is a Water and Drainage System,
but neither is structurally perfect, nor are all the houses joined to the
system. The water is not properly filtered at intake, and the drains
are not all trapped, nor are the sewers extended far enough at out-
fall. Scavenging is regularly carried out, but even its effect, in
addition to water carriage of sewage, is not sufficient to remove all
the wrongs which exist at fishing seasons. Regulations have lately been
drawn up by the Sanitary Inspector and myself to supplement the
efforts of the Sub-Committee in this direction.
Puddles occur near street pumps, and at times some rather
savoury refuse is found there too.
There is not sufficient accommodation of a proper kind for the
extra workers in the summer season, and no regulations have been
made for the supervision of their crowded lodgings, nor for the
thorough removal of extra refuse in curing yards. Every house has
not its proper ashpit and privy accommodation, and, though at some
points some arrangement in shape of public privies has been made to
remedy this deficiency, it is not by any means satisfactory. Much
fouling of earth surface and roadsides consequently results, and
particularly the Lane near the curing yards is in the same unim-
proved state still. Though action was begun to improve it, some
hitch occurred to stop procedure to have the necessary proposals
carried out. The Railway Station had some defects in drainage, and
there is no general waiting-room to shelter passengers.
The condition of Portgower School has been specially investigated,
and also the condition of the Hotel drains and W.C. Several other
matters causing nuisance were inquired into during the year.
The rural part of Parish is same as others with reference to
midden heaps too near houses and roads, and danger of polluted
water from surface refuse.