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that district suffering when Kensington people have no ground for complaint, and vice versa: the
incidence of nuisance varying with change in the direction of the wind. The matter having been
referred to the Law and Parliamentary Committee of the late Vestry, they reported that—
" By section 29 of the Gas Works Clauses Act, 1847, which applies to the Gas Light and Coke
Company, the company is not to be exempted from indictment for nuisance, or any other
legal proceeding to which they may be liable in consequence of making or supplying gas ;
and in a case decided in 1877 it was held that a gas company was not entitled to create a
nuisance in exercising their statutory powers or in carrying out their statutory obligations.
(Attorney General v. Gas Light and Coke Company, 7 Ch. D. 217.)"
The Committee therefore advised the Sanitary Committee that—
" If there be evidence of a substantial public nuisance caused by the Gas Light and Coke Company
the Vestry are entitled to proceed by indictment, or for an injunction to secure its abatement."
The Vestry accordingly addressed a communication to the company intimating that observation
would be kept up, and that on any recurrence of the nuisance proceedings would be instituted.
A reply was received to the effect that, while objectionable smells did proceed at times from the
works, such smells being caused by the elimination of sulphur impurities from the gas, according to
the stringent requirements of the metropolitan gas referees, every known appliance for the prevention
of nuisance was adopted. The company suggested a reference to the gas referees, being of opinion
that they would be able to satisfy the Vestry that the best possible system was being carried out;
but, in the event of improvement being suggested, the directors signified willingness to adopt and
to carry out any recommendation. The Vestry adhered to the position taken up with regard to the
legal responsibility of the Company to see that no nuisance should arise from smells from their
works, and left it to the Company to appeal to the gas referees, if they thought any useful purpose
would be served by so doing. That the cause of nuisance is more or less within control would
appear from the intermittency of the complaints, and as the smells are at times not perceptible to
any noxious degree in the vicinity of the works. No proceedings, whether by indictment or for an
injunction, have hitherto been taken.
DISINFECTION.
The Public Health (London) Act, 1891, imposed additional duties on the sanitary authority
in the matter of disinfection,* the practical effect of the legislation of late years having been to throw
upon the rates the cost of disinfecting houses, and disinfecting and cleansing of bedding,
clothing, etc
The cost of this work has largely increased since the Act came into operation in 1892 ; the
amount expended in 1902 was £'989, compared with £381 in 1891. In the latter year the weight
of the articles disinfected was under 20 tons, their number being about 9,400 only ; whereas in 1902
some 26,625 articles were dealt with, of an aggregate weight of 54 tons 6 cwts
Nine hundred and twenty five rooms, in 830 houses, were disinfected after infectious disease,
compared with 364 in 1891.
The expenditure on disinfection, including cleansing of clothing, bedding, etc., varies from
year to year, with the prevalence of infectious disease. Very few disinfections are now done at the
cost of the occupiers of the houses, or the owners of clothing, bedding, etc.