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and to what extent physical severance in regard to supply of the
several companies should take place. They would also be asked
to say—(i) whether any division within the limits of supply of
the companies was practicable and desirable, and if so what were
the legal powers necessary to give effect to any such arrangement;
and (2) if the undertakings were not so acquired, whether
additional power of control should be exercised by the local or
other authorities ; and, if so, what those powers should be ; and
(3) whether it would be practicable to connect any two or more
of the different systems of supply of the eight Metropolitan
Companies; and, if so, by whom and in what proportion should
the cost of connection be borne, and what were the legal powers
necessary.
During the year under report little or no legislation from a
purely sanitary point of view came under the consideration of
Parliament, other matters blocking the way.
Public The procedure of the Sanitary Department is
Health . .
(London) almost entirely based upon the provisions 01 the
Act. 1891. Public Health (London) Act, 1891, which consolidated
and amended the various Acts under which the Sanitation of
London had been previously carried out. It contained also many
valuable provisions which had hitherto only been extra Metropolitan
and contained in the Public Health Act, 1875, under
which provincial Sanitary Authorities had effected great improvement
in the Sanitation of their districts. A condensed synopsis
of its provisions here will be useful for reference.
Sec. 1 provides for house to house inspection by the Sanitary
Authority, for which additional Inspectors with separate and
smaller districts have been appointed within the last few years.
Sec. 2.—A nuisance must be abated that is dangerous or
likely to be dangerous to health. Under the Metropolis Management
and other Acts it was necessary to prove actual injury to
health.