View report page

241
to the Local Government Board, and to the several Sanitary Authorities;
and the prominence thus given to the subject contributed to bring ahout
a partial remedy by legislation. Advantage was also taken of the sitting
of the Royal Commission on the Housing of the Working Classes, to
send to every member of the Commission a copy of the Reports of the
Medical Officer of Health, and of the correspondence on the case in question,
with the result that, in their report, published in 1885, the Commission
recommended that the companies should be deprived of the summary
power to cut off the water supply. The Vestry supported a Bill introduced
by Lord Camperdown in that year, and intended to settle the
question, but the Bill was thrown out by the Commons.
" A very useful measure, the Water Companies (Regulation of Powers) Bill,
was brought in by Mr. Forrest Fulton in 1887, having for its object the
limitation of the powers of Water Companies to cut off the tenants' water
supply where the rate was paid by the landlord. The Vestry presented
a petition to the House of Commons in favour of the Bill, which ultimately
became law.
" The Poplar District Board of Works in 1890, addressed a memorial to the
Local Government Board, asking them to take further action to deprive
Water Companies of the powers which they still possessed of cutting off
the water supply from occupied premises. A copy of this memorial was
submitted to the Vestry, when it was resolved, upon the recommendation
of the Law and Parliamentary Committee, to address a communication to
the Local Government Board expressing approval of the principle laid
down in the memorial. Nothing, however, came of the action taken by
the Sanitary Authorities on this occasion.
" By section 49 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, the Water Companies
are required to give notice to the Sanitary Authority when they
cease to supply any dwelling house with water, from any cause, thereby
giving effect to the views contained in a resolution passed by the Vestry
on the subject in 1882 ; and as by section 48 (1) of the same Act, any
occupied House without a sufficient supply of water is constituted a
nuisance liable to be dealt with summarily under the Act, the powers of
the Vestry are practically used as a means to enforce payment of the
water-rate."
The report of the Committee was adopted, and also the
recommendation, " That a copy of the Annual Report of the
Medical Officer of Health for the year 1891, be forwarded to the
Vestry of Fulham with an intimation that this Vestry are in
accord with them as to the desirability of the Water Companies
being deprived of the powers they still possess to cut
off water from occupied premises and will be fully prepared
to co operate with them in any practicable proposal which
they may bring forward for attaining this object."
P.