London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
St Pancras 1896
Forty-first annual report of the Medical Officer of Health on the vital and sanitary condition of the Borough of Saint Pancras, London
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64
(8) For assigning, underletting or disposing of this Contract without the
permission of the Vestry, or for employing men otherwise than in
accordance with Section 22, a sum not exceeding one hundred
pounds.
(9) For permitting the practice of "totting" or "sorting," twenty
shillings for each offence.
(10) For using any shoot in Saint Pancras without the permission of the
Medical Officer of Health, or for neglecting to keep such shoot in
proper condition, twenty pounds.
This pioneer system has worked exceedingly well and has been adopted or imitated by a number of other Authorities. The proof of efficient working is shown by the number of dust complaints received each quarter during the past six years.
| Quarters. | 1891-2 | 1892-3 | 1893-4 | 1894-5 | 1895-6 | 1896-7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | +5170 | *1867 | 60 | 152 | 172 | 165 |
| 3rd | 3 92 | 26 | 2 | 45 | 57 | 35 |
| 4th | 3571 | 38 | 11 | 11 | 55 | 170 |
| 1st | 8104 | 49 | 16 | 141 | 132 | 201 |
| Annual Total | 20,237 | 1,980 | 89 | 349 | 416 | 571 |
| Annual Cost | £8.561. 6 2 | £10.957 16 4 | £16.203 2 0 | £13.130 0 0 | £12.611 10 4 | £12,186 13 4 |
† Transferred to Health Department. * New System introduced.
Recently your Vestry has resolved to undertake the work hitherto performed
by the Contractors, and in the East and West Parliamentary Divisions of the
District the Contract no longer prevails.
Compulsory removal of house-refuse.— In November, 1896, I presented a
report to your Health Committee upon the compulsory power to remove dust,
the principal points of which are as stated.
The liability of this Authority with regard to the removal of dust is contained
in Section 30 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891: " (1) It shall be the
duty of every Sanitary Authority (a) to secure the due removal at proper
periods of house-refuse from premises, and the due cleansing out and emptying
at proper periods of ash-pits, and of earth-closets, privies and cesspools (if any)
in the district, and the giving of sufficient notice of the time appointed for
such removal, cleansing out and emptying, and (b) where the house-refuse is
not removed from any premises in the district at the ordinary period, or any
ash-pit, earth-closet, privy or cesspool in or under any building in the district
is not cleansed out at the ordinary period, and the occupier of the premises
serves on the Authority a written notice requiring the removal of such refuse,
or the cleansing out or emptying of the ash-pit, earth-closet, privy, or cesspool,
as the case may be, to comply with such notice within forty-eight hours after
that service, exclusive of Sundays and public holidays: (2) If a Sanitary
Authority fail, without reasonable cause, to comply with this Section, they
shall be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds: (3) If any person in