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The summonses were heard by Mr. Haden Corser at Worship
Street. After hearing both sides he adjourned the case for the
purpose of making a personal inspection; he did so, and at the
adjourned hearing gave his decision : —He had formed the opinion
that the dust shoots could not be removed from their present
position without materially cramping the internal sanitary arrangements,
and that the proposed remedy of placing them outside would
bring about a worse condition than the present one, he therefore
declined to make an order and dismissed the summonses. With
regard to the dark rooms, he was of opinion that No. 169, the ground
floor set, were unfit for habitation, and made a closing order, but
he considered sullicient had been done to the others to render them
habitable.
SANITARY WORK.
Table VI. details the work done by your District Inspectors.
The total shows a considerable increase over that of the previous
year, though it does not include one month's work done by your
Workshop's Inspector, indeed one sometimes hears murmurs that
small property owners are being persecuted in Bethnal Green, the
fact is that for years they have had very much their own way and
have done as little as they possibly could. Now public opinion is
with Sanitary Authorities, and owners feel that they must do their
duty. Numbers of dilapidated hovels have been pulled down instead
of being patched up, and sound healthy dwellings have been erected
on their sites. I have much pleasure in indicating the works completed
and in progress in Hart's Lane, as a good example of how
things ought to be done.
The total number of inspections in Table VI., scarcely shows the
amount of work really done, for the examination of drains, etc., is
now much more thorough and careful than was the case a few years
ago. We are not satisfied with merely testing drains with strongsmelling
agents such as peppermint, but we expect all pipes under
buildings and all new work to stand the water test, which is much
more severe and searching. All this takes time and means money,
though the results obtained will certainly pay for the expenditure,
as drains once properly laid quite water-tight should require no