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207
within the Parish of St. Luke, now one of the constituent portions of
the Borough of Finsbury. I am informed that the Vestries of
Shoreditch and St. Luke found it necessary on more than one occasion
to complain of nuisances arising in connection with these stables.
In 1897 such a complaint had relation to the accumulation of manure,
and was the subject of prosecution, as a result of which the Vestry of
St. Luke obtained a "prohibition order" against the firm (Minutes of
the Vestry of St. Luke, 1897-98, p. 440.) It should be stated that
Messrs. McNamara's stables are surrounded in a considerable degree,
on all sides, by large buildings used as commercial offices, warehouses,
factories, and places of business. The dwelling houses in the
immediate vicinity are comparatively few.
The complaint, which is represented by the above letter from
Messrs. W. Angus & Co., dates, as far as I am concerned, from April,
1902, but I am informed by the complainant that he has made verbal
complaint previous to this date. The firm of Messrs. Angus & Co.,
Limited, trades as wholesale and export furniture manufacturers, and
occupies large and commodious premises in Paul Street, opposite to
the premises of Messrs. McNamara. Early in April, 1902, I received
a written and verbal complaint from this firm, and in a series of
letters received during April, May, and July of last year, and June of
the present year, the complaint was repeated or amplified In
substance it would appear that Messrs. Angus & Co. allege that a
nuisance, dangerous to the health of their employees and the public,
arises from the odour derived from the stables of Messrs. McNamara
& Co., which are kept in a "negligent and uncleanly condition." It
is, perhaps, hardly necessary to put in all the correspondence, which
repeats in various terms the views and objections of Angus & Co.
There are, however, two points which occupy a prominent place in
these letters, and to which reference should be made, in order that the
facts may be within the knowledge of the Borough Council and the
Board. First, the complaint has relation to a nuisance on the
premises of McNamara's stables. It is not, as I gather, a question of
a nuisance in the street, such for example as might arise by the
conveyance of " offensive matter " at periods of the day when such
refuse should not be conveyed. The nuisance is rather the smell
arising from the stables, due, in the complainants' opinion, to
infrequency of removal of manure and general uncleanliness of the