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49
some thousands of houses in this Company's district, and that in
course of time the whole of the cisterns will be provided with
warning pipes as prescribed by the 14th regulation. The inspector
assures me, moreover, that no practical difficulty is experienced in
effecting the alteration, the inhabitants generally, on explanation,
recognising the value of it. It is almost superfluous to say
that what has been done by one Company may be done by the
others; and if the Companies are unwilling to do the work, local
sanitary authorities should have co-ordinate jurisdiction with them,
and be empowered to serve the necessary notices for the abolition
of the waste-pipe in all proper cases. It is curious that the law
should be so stringent with respect to offences nnder the Act, viz.,
for fouling the water in bulk-every precaution being taken to
secure the water being brought in a state of purity to the cistern—
and then so absolutely indifferent as to what becomes of it afterwards.
We must not pollute the water in bulk, and so poison our neighbours,
but we may commit constructive suicide by allowing emanations
from sewers and water-closets to enter our water cisterns.
The regulations, it may be added, may be altered, and the mode
of procedure, to obtain such alteration, is specified in the Act, viz.,
by an application to a water company by the " Metropolitan authority,"
or by any ten consumers of water supplied by the Company,
to repeal or alter any of the regulations, or to make new regulations
instead of any of them : aud if the Water Company refuses to
comply, the Local Government Board may, if they think fit, appoint
a competent and impartial person of engineering knowledge and
experience, to report to them, ... as to the expediency of altering
or repealing regulations, or of making new regulations in conformity
with such request as aforesaid, and on the report of such
person, the Board may make such repeal or alterations as they
think fit. I would, therefore, beg to recommend that the Metropolitan
authority (Metropolitan Board of Works) be asked to
make request as aforesaid, so as to enable local sanitary authorities
to enforce such of the regulations as have a sanitary bearing.
GAS.
During the year there has not been any complaint made to me
on the subject of gas supply in this parish.
The subjoined tables are taken from the quarterly reports of the
chief gas examiner.