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the tradesman found himself arose out of prosecutions by
the Vestry of an adjoining parish, in connection with the
removal of offensive substances through streets after the
prescribed hour, 12 o'clock noon. The sanitary committee
made a recommendation, which was adopted by your Vestry
(6th November), to the effect—
"That a communication be addressed to the County Council pointing out
the desirability of their bye-law (1) being revised, so as to allow of the
removal of fish offal, etc., at other times than those specified, provided
such offal is removed from the premises in suitable and closely-covered
receptacles which will effectually prevent any noxious effluvia escaping
therefrom."
In commenting on the subject (No. 11 Report 1895,
November 12th, page 145), I set out your Vestry's proceedings,
and recommended that "the attention of the sanitary authorities
generally be called to the matter, in the belief that they would
be willing to support your Vestry's action, by applying to
the Council to make a more reasonable bye-law." This course
was adopted*; and many of the vestries, etc., not only
expressed agreement with the views set out in the report, but
also communicated with the Council. But the Council took
no action in the matter. The subject was again dealt with in
the eleventh monthly report for 1899 (November 9th, page
112), wherein it was stated that the Council were "now
disposed to consider the question, which is much wider than
as it relates to the removal of fish offal, and that should
legislation be the outcome of enquiry, the Council will be
enabled to deal with it in its entirety." It was further observed
that "it is not clear that, failing legislation, the sanitary
authorities might not themselves do something in the matter,
*The main proposal submitted to the Council and to the sanitary authorities,
by the Vestry, was that the offal of the trades of fishmonger, poulterer, &c., should
be stored in shops in galvanized iron receptacles with tight-fitting covers, and that
the offal should be removed in the vessels; a subsidiary advantage of the plan
being that the storage vessels could be effectually cleansed before being returned
to the shopkeeper.