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156
a course which probably would be practicable in most of the
cases in which, owing to the frontage of the stable being
wholly occupied by doors, it is not possible to provide a fixed
receptacle on the surface of the mews.
Difficulty in Securing Removal of Stable Refuse.
—The repealed Sanitary Act of 1866 enabled the " Nuisance
Authority " (i.e., your Vestry) to contract with the occupiers
of stables and cowhouses for the collection and removal of
manure or other refuse matter; but the Authority could remove
it only " with the sanction of the owner." The Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, has not made any material difference in
the position, for section 36 does no more than authorise the
Sanitary Authority to collect and remove the refuse from
stables, &c., " the occupiers of which signify their consent in
writing to such removal," which would have to be done at
the cost of the said authority. The necessary consent would
ba forthcoming probably, in most cases, if it came to be
known that the requirements of the law would be enforced
in case of neglect on the part of the owner to comply with
the regulations. In many, if not in the majority of cases,
money is now paid by the owners for the removal of the
refuse, and I see no reason why they should not be required
to pay to the Local Authority a suitable fee for the service.
Many persons would be glad to do so, and thus relieve themselves
of a troublesome duty. At the same time, it is
not improbable that the large amount of refuse produced in
nearly two hundred mews, would have an aggregate value
sufficient to pay the cost of a well-organised system of collection
and removal to the country. Section 35 authorises a
sanitary inspector to serve a notice on the owner of any
accumulation of manure or other obnoxious matter, requiring
him to remove it, and if the notice is not complied with within
forty-eight (the Bill read 24) hours from the service thereof,
the " matter " becomes the property of the Sanitary Authority,