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The water drawn from the Thames contained rather more
organic matter than 188 1, but was of better quality than in
the three years 1878 to 1880. The number of occasions
when the water supplied by the Southwark Company was
clear and transparent was 7, when slightly turbid 5, and
when turbid, or very turbid, or when moving organisms were
found, 0.
SANITARY WORK.
The houses in which deaths from infectious diseases have
occurred are promptly inspected with the view of discovering
any sanitary defects in the dramage or water supply. In
this way many unsuspected nuisances are brought to light.
Twenty years ago it was supposed that every cesspool in the
Parish had been done away with, and yet the Inspector succeeds
in finding some every year; last year 20 were abolished.
Many old and delapidated brick drains of an unnecessarily
large size, and with no sufficient fall are nothing better than
so many elongated cesspools; 135 drains of this kind have
been taken up and relaid with stoneware glazed pipes. A
large number of houses have been examined with regard to
their water supply; 625 closets have been supplied with
water; 332 water receptacles were supplied, and 182 were
cleansed and purified; 61 houses were supplied with water
which previously had none, or where the supply had been
cut off; 30 houses in courts were provided with a constant
supply by means of permanent stand pipes. This is really
the cheapest and best way of supplying the very poor with a
sufficiency of pure water, and of avoiding its contamination
subsequent to its delivery. Two thousand four hundred and
ninety-five houses and other premises have been inspected
and reported on to the Vestry. This is an increase of 237
over the previous year. Two thousand four hundred and
twenty-seven notices have been served for the execution of
the necessary works, and these have generally been complied
with without there being any necessity for taking further
legal proceedings. Four hundred and six stopped drains
had been cleared, and 192 defective ones repaired. One
hundred and fifty-three offensive privies were cleared, 163
were repaired or ventilated, and 59 closets were panned and
trapped. Two hundred and seventy-three untrapped sinks
were trapped. Two hundred and ninety-eight dust-bins were