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43
Certain difficulties prevented the Home Office communicating with
each medical practitioner, but he arranged that notices should be
put in the leading medical journals calling the attention of members
of the profession to their obligation in this respect.
Subsequently I obtained the consent of the Public Health
Committee to call the attention of each medical practitioner in
Hackney to the duty of notifying such cases of poisioning, Dr.
Whitelegge kindly supplying me with copies of a notice prepared at
the Home Office for this purpose.
These were immediately dispatched to every medical practitioner
in Hackney.
I believe Hackney is the only district in London where the
attention of each medical practitioner has been called to the statute.
EAST LONDON WATER COMPANY AND SHORT
SUPPLY.
The most important event during the year for Hackney and the
whole of the East End of London was undoubtedly the failure of
the East London Water Company to maintain their constant service
to their customers during the summer and autumn of last year.
This is the third failure of the Company during recent years, and is
remarkable for its long duration. The previous failures were in the
years 1895 and 1896, the periods of short service being in the former
year 10 weeks, and in the latter about 8 weeks; but that of 1898 lasted
altogether 16 weeks.
The short supply of last year began on the 22nd of August
after a notice of only three or four days, being then reduced to two
intervals of three hours each during the 24 hours. On the 3rd of
September the period was further curtailed to two intervals ot two
hours each per day. This continued until the 28th of November,
when the hours of supply were extended to nine per day—the hours
of supply being different in different parts of Hackney, in some the
water being on from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., in others from 9 a.m. to 6
p.m. On the 12th December the constant supply was restored.