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Dartmouth Park and Perry Vale, and that this disease was
caused by the want of proper drainage in these neighbourhoods,
by unventilated cesspools, old brick drains without
ventilation, and want of attention to sanitary requirements.
These requirements were remedied by the construction of
the Perry Vale sewer, which runs through the neighbourhood
indicated, and into which I believe that the houses in that
locality arc all now drained.
The absolute want of drainage of the houses at Westwood
Park, Forest Hill, on tho border of the Parish, was also
brought under your notice, but as these houses were in
Camberwell Parish, they were not under the control of the
Lewisham Board.
Cesspools have since been constructed, but it remains for
the Local authority to ventilate such cesspools, to prevent
such overflow as gives rise to nuisance, to provide for
cleansing at proper intervals, and to abate any existing
nuisance in ditches.
An official enquiry was also made by order of the Privy
Council, of these localities, but the sewer in Perry Vale was
already in progress when this enquiry was instituted.
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WATER SUPPLY.
This district is dependent upon two companies for its water
supply, viz., the Lambeth and the Kent Companies, the
former supplying Sydenham and Penge, and the latter Lewisham
and Blackheath.
Dr. Frankland, in his report upon water supply, states
that the Lambeth Company requires to make considerable
improvement in its subsidence and filtration plant.The
water of the Kent Company (which is now wholly derived
from chalk wells), is not filtered before delivery ; the natural
filtration which the water receives through the pores of the
chalk is very greatly superior to the best artificial operation
of this kind.
The supply is still of an intermittent kind, but I think that
the time must shortly come when the inconvenience and
danger arising from this plan will no longer be tolerated