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164
street gullies have been syphon-trapped; the surface sewer
ventilating openings have been closed, and the sewers ventilated
by pipe shafts carried up against the houses; and many
improvements have been effected in the sanitation of the
houses, nearly all of which, being let in lodgings, have been
registered. The drains of the large majority of the houses
have been trapped and ventilated; and additional water-closets
have been provided. In many of the houses water for drinking
is now obtained from the rising main. Much of this work
had been carried out before the district became the subject of
public discussion in 1893. The sanitary committee and your
Vestry then, came to the conclusion, which is as true to day as
ever, that the best hope for the district was to harass the
people who make great profits by letting nightly, at extravagant
rents, the " furnished " rooms which abound. The committee,
moreover, reported that—" What appears to be most
needed is frequent house-to-house inspection;"* and, with a
view to secure this, they recommended the appointment of an
additional sanitary inspector for one year. The appointment
was made, and subsequently was made permanent; but, in
1896, a vacancy having arisen, the inspecting staff was reduced
to six, the north-west district was enlarged, and the special
area was deprived of its special inspector. The area of the
north-west district was, not long after, again reduced to its
original dimensions; but having regard to the character of
the houses, and the habits of the people who occupy the
* The special committee of 1896 recommended "increased sanitary inspection
of the district with a view to the more strict enforcement of the
bye-laws relating to houses let in lodgings," and to "see that particular attention
is given to those cases where the bedding and other contents of the room
are in such a state as to cause the premises to be a nuisance or injurious or
dangerous to health, in order that the provisions of the Public Health (London)
Act, 1891, may be applied to secure the cleansing or destruction of the said articles
so that the nuisance may be abated." An impossible task in existing circumstances.