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are improperly placed under inaccessible roofs or
beneath floors, without efficient protection from
weather, dust, droppings of animals, or other
sources of pollution; but if they are constructed
in positions where they can be easily inspected
and frequently cleansed, we may concede the
point, but it is only the commonest of common
sense to insist upon some relief from the tyranny
of the Water Companies, who, whilst charging
the maximum of tax justified by inequitable
legislation, give in return the minimum of
accommodation in periods of water famine, or
when any accidental disruption occurs in their
mains or other mechanical appliances; in other
words, when the so-called "constant service"
becomes irregular.
What is the tenant to do under this contingency
? The poor have neither the means nor
the leisure to collect and store water for use
during the intermissions of supply, and to them
the want of water entails an amount of discomfort
and uncleanliness that emphasises the
bitterness of want and misery.