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The Vestry, having again considered the matter, decided to support the
action of the London County Council in procuring the proposed amendment
of the law.
The question also came before the Vestry in connection with a complaint
from the London School Board respecting the effluvia arising from the
manure in some omnibus stables in Filmer Road, opposite to the Munster
Road Board School. In this case there was no evidence of any accumulation,
as the manure was regularly removed; but the complaint was of the
smell that arose when the manure was removed, and I pointed out that this
might be entirely done away with if the manure were loaded direct from the
stables into covered carts, which should be removed when full, and suggested
that the Vestry might be able to enforce this by availing themselves of the
provisions of Section 21 of the Public Health (London) Act, which recites
that " where any building or premises used for trade, business, process or
manufacture causing effluvia, is certified to the Sanitary Authority by their
Medical Officer of Health, or by any two legally qualified practitioners, or by
any ten inhabitants of the district, to be a nuisance or dangerous or injurious
to the health of any of the inhabitants of the district, such authority shall
make a complaint, and if it appears to the Petty Sessional Court hearing the
complaint that the trade, business, process or manufacture carried on by the
person is a nuisance, then unless it is shown that such person has used the
best practicable means for abating such nuisance, or preventing or counteracting
the effluvia, the person so offending shall be liable to a fine not
exceeding £50"; and as ihe Solicitor to the Yestry, to whom the question was
referred, was of opinion that proceedings could be taken under this section,
the Vestry resolved to do this in the future, should occasion arise. It would
appear—assuming this view of the law to be correct—that the Vestry would
also have power to stop the use of peat moss litter, as it is mainly when this
is used —as it is now in nearly all the large stables—that any nuisance arises,
the smell from peat moss manure being of a most vile description.
Sewer Ventilation,
The Surveyor has continued to deal vigorously with this matter, and
has succeeded in obtaining permission to erect 50 shafts during the year,
with the result that complaints respecting the offensive smells arising from
the manholes and surface ventilators have not been quite so numerous as
heretofore.