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The Borough Councils have power to promote bills in Parliament, and it will probably be
thought desirable to take joint action in the matter, as the County Council will make no further
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," reparable 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, whenever practicable, whether it
constitutes a " sewer " reparable 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, some years since, to obtain an abstract of the records of the Commissioners
relating to this borough, which has been of great service, saving the labour of a search at Spring
Gardens upon each occasion of dispute: it 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.
SMOKE NUISANCE.
In several instances complaints were made of nuisance from emissionof black smoke—by
the Smoke Abatement Society, the London County Council and private persons. Cautionary
letters were addressed to the occupiers of the premises to which the complaints related. No
further proceedings became necessary.
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 three sets of public water closets,
for the male sex only, situated, respectively, at Thurloe Place, Brompton ; at the rear of the
central public library, Kensington High-street; and at Laneaster-road, adjoining the
public library; and two for both sexes, viz.: at the west end of Westbourne-grove;
and at Talbot-road. Sanitary authorities have power (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, where, in my opinion, an underground retiring place for both sexes might be
constructed without giving reasonable cause for objection. Increased powers were conferred by
the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, section 44 (2), of which vests the subsoil of roadways in the
sanitary authority, who, moreover, have power to compensate persons injured by the erection of
these conveniences near to their houses, etc.
Domestic Sanitary Conveniences.—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 Couucil's by-laws for houses
let in lodgings or occupied by members of more than one family. In conformity with these by-laws
at a considerable number of houses, the inhabitants of which exceed twelve in number, a second
water-closet has been provided. In some instances the owner preferred to reduce the number
of persons to twelve or less, rather than incur the expense of erecting a second closet.
Separate Sanitary Conveniencies 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 are
taken, when necessary, 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
systematically throughout the borough ; but individual cases only are dealt with as they arise out of