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Such a bill (Metropolitan Sewers and Drains) was brought in, on behalf of the Couucil, in
1896, but it did not become law. The Borough Councils have power to promote bills in Parliament,
and it will probably be thought desirable to take joint action in this matter, as the County
Council do not intend to repeat their effort to obtain an amendment of the Act. Legislation is
necessary, seeing that many sanitary authorities have shown unwillingness to repair, as "sewers,"
conduits which they consider should be regarded as "combined drains," repairable at the expense
of the owners of the houses drained in common thereby. Cases, moreover, are not unknown in
which a sanitary authority have failed to abate nuisance in connection with drainage, upon the
refusal of the owners of houses to comply with notices requiring them to execute work which, in
the present state of the law, properly devolves upon the sanitary authority. Some authorities, on
the other hand, have expended large sums of money in the repair, as sewers, of combined systems
of drainage. With the view to facilitate inquiries as to. whether any such system had been
sanctioned by the late Commissioners of Sewers, the predecessors to the late Vestries, etc., and so
determine, when practicable, whether it constitutes a "sewer" repairable by the sanitary authority,
or is a combined "drain" repairable by the owner or owners of the houses drained thereby, the
sanitary committee of the late Vestry, upon my advice, resolved, in July, 1898, to obtain an
abstract of the records of the Commissioners relating to this borough. The abstract has proved
of great service, by saving the labour of a search at Spring Gardens upon each occasion of dispute;
and has already far more than repaid the cost of preparation, by throwing upon owners the
responsibility for repair, or reconstruction, of combined drains which, without the information
afforded by it, would have devolved upon the sanitary authority.
PUBLIC SANITARY CONVENIENCES.
There are only 19 public urinals in the parish—an inadequate provision, but supplemented
by about 170 external urinals at public-houses. This latter accommodation is not of a satisfactory
sort, as a rule, but it is better than none: it was improved, moreover, as the result of proceedings
taken by the late Vestry in 1888, and subsequently. There are five sets of public water-closets,
for the male sex only, situated, respectively, in Thurloe-place, Brompton; at the rear of the
central public library, Kensington High-street; at the west-end of Westbourne-grove, Nottinghill_(about
to be reconstructed under ground); at Lancaster-road, Notting-hill, adjoining the
public library; and at Talbot-road. Sanitary authorities have power, in section 88 of
the Metropolis Management Act, 1855, "to provide and maintain urinals, water-closets, and
like conveniences for both sexes in situations where they deem such accommodation to be
required." Suitable sites exist; none better, perhaps, or where provision of the kind is more
needed, than in Kensington High-street, opposite the parish church. Here, an underground
retiring place for both sexes might be constructed without causing nuisance. Increased powers
were conferred by the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, section 44 (2), which vests the subsoils
of roadways in the sanitary authority, who, moreover, have power to compensate persons injured
by the erection of these conveniences near to their houses, &c.
Domestic Sanitary Conveniences.—The attention of the Public Health Committee was called
last year to the absence of sanitary conveniences at Station-buildings adjoining the South
Kensington railway station. These premises are used, by day only, as shops. There is no place
or means of drainage for sanitary conveniences, the shops being situated over the railway and at
street level. The difficulty was got over by the railway company making an arrangement for the
free use by their tenants of the lavatory accommodation at the station. The 26th
by-law of the County Council requires the landlord or owner of any lodging-house
to provide and maintain in connection with such house, water-closet accommodation in the
proportion of not less than one water-closet . . . for every twelve persons. And a similar provision
is contained in the Borough Council's by-laws for houses let in lodgings or occupied by
members of more than one family. In conformity with these by-laws a number of houses, the
inhabitants of which exceeded twelve in number, were provided with a second water-closet. In
some instances the owner or occupier preferred to reduce the number of lodgers to twelve or less,
rather than incur the expense of erecting a second closet.
Separate Sanitary Conveniences for the Two Sexes.—Section 38 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, enacts that where persons of both sexes are employed at a factory, workshop,
or workplace, separate sanitary conveniences for persons of each sex shall be provided.
Steps were taken successfully in several instances during the year to give effect to this laudable
provision of law.
THE PAVING OF YARDS.
During the year, a considerable number of yards were paved more or less satisfactorily—or
unsatisfactorily; for it has not been the rule to require the entire surface of the small yards at the
rear of houses inhabited by the poor to be paved; and too commonly the paving is not what it
should be in material or workmanship. It would be well if this work were carried out