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out, they are adopting an unwise and unjustifiable course in
deliberately refusing to carry out, for sentimental reasons, the
provisions of the Public Health Act.
The Vestry, in March last, presented a petition to the Local
Government Board asking the Board to promote legislation
which would preclude Water Companies from cutting off the
supply of water to occupied houses, and were informed that
the suggestion in the petition would be noted, but that there
was no measure before Parliament, on the part of the Government,
for dealing with the London water.
The Vestry should undoubtedly do all in their power
to secure an alteration of the law, by which, if they do their
duty they are practically in the position of debt collectors for
the Companies; but until this alteration is secured they should
certainly carry out their duties under the Act,
SEWER VENTILATION.
As usual, constant complaints were received of the offensive
smells arising from the manholes and surface ventilators in
the roadways, and in June last I suggested to the Vestry, in a
report on the question, that in connection with the new sewer
which they were constructing in the Wandsworth Bridge
Road as many pipe ventilators should be erected as possible,
and with that view permission was obtained from a number of
owners to have these ventilators fixed against their houses,
but unfortunately the Vestry did not avail themselves of the
opportunity of ascertaining whether the ventilation of the
sewer in this way would remedy the present admitted
nuisance.
In the report for 1893 it was remarked that " it is to be
greatly regretted, too, that although hundreds of houses are
built yearly, in no single instance has the Vestry's recommendation,
urging on builders the desirability of providing
and fixing ventilators up the fronts of the houses between the
syphon trap and the sewer, been acted on. If this were done,
and it could be done when building at a trifling cost, much
future trouble would be avoided"; but since then this has
been carried out in some houses recently built on the
Burlington Estate, in which the builder has used Sykes'