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48
be seen, farther supplemented during the past year, to
the extent of 1,460 feet. Besides many other sanitary
proceedings regarded as essential to the preservation or
improvement of the public health, amongst which may be
mentioned the supervision of the Slaughter and Cowhouses
of the Sub-district (all of which were re-licensed
without opposition,) a number of nuisances were either
removed or abated, and it is satisfactory to report that,
with one exception, all was accomplished without magisterial
interference.
The Acts having reference to the adulteration and sale
of food, and to the regulation of the hours of labour in
factories and workshops, still present many legal and
other difficulties to their successful working. It is satisfactory,
however, to find that no cases of non-compliance
with the provisions of these Acts became known to the
officers of the District Board, necessitating any interference
on their part during the past year.*
Water Supply.—After the thorough ventilation which
this question underwent last year, it was expected that
something would have resulted ere this, to place the
supply, both in respect to the quality and quantity of the
water furnished by the Companies, on a better footing.
Complaints have been very general of late, that all has
not been done that might have been to meet the recommendations
of the Royal Commissioners, or the
requirements of the public as regards the water
supplied by the Southwark Company, so greatly complained
of last year. It is satisfactory to find Dr. Frankland,
in his more recent reports to the Registrar General,
speaking somewhat more favourably of such supply. In
his report for 1869 he writes thus, "This Company has
since (i.e. subsequently to Mr. Radcliff's statement that
the turbidity of the water arose from the communication
*With reference to the adulteration of food and drugs, there is now some
prospect of the question being seriously taken up by Government. In a recent
debate upon the subject the Home Secretary candidly admitted that permissive
legislation was useless.