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85
COMBINED DRAINAGE.
Several of the metropolitan sanitary authorities made representations to the County
Council, in 1894, on the need of legislation, "with a view to an alteration in the definition of
the word drain and the word sewer" in the Metropolis Management Act, 1855 (sec. 250), and
ultimately a deputation representing the Vestries and District Boards waited upon the Main
Drainage Committee with reference to the subject. This Committee reported (July 7th, 1894), that
"a grievance exists, and that a heavy responsibility is thrown upon the local authorities to repair
combined drains which were laid down for the benefit of owners of houses, and with the
intention that the owners should be held responsible for their maintenance." The Committee
further came to the conclusion that "the Council, as the central authority, should promote legislation
in accordance with the views of the local authorities," and upon their recommendation it
was resolved:—
"That the Council do apply to Parliament for an amendment of the definition of the
word sewer and drain in the Metropolis Local Management Act, in the way desired by the
local authorities, and that it be referred to the Parliamentary Committee to prepare a Public
Bill and take such other steps as may be necessary for that purpose."
Such a bill ("Metropolitan Sewers and Drains") was brought in, on behalf of the Council,
in 1896, but it did not become law. The subject is one deserving of further attention, and having
regard to the large interests involved, it would seem desirable that the Borough Councils should
take joint action to promote legislation, as the County Council will take no further action in the
matter, and the Local Government Board do not seem inclined to deal with it. The subject was
brought to the attention of the Sanitary Authorities last year, by the Battersea Borough Council,
who stated that the President of the Board had expressed the opinion that it was unnecessary to
trouble a proposed deputation to wait upon him with regard to it. In accordance with the suggestion
of the Battersea Council, and upon the recommendation of the Public Health Committee, the Council
addressed a communication to the Board, pointing out that, owing to the present unsatisfactory state
of the law with regard to combined drainage, the Borough Councils throughout the Metropolis are
now frequently called upon to carry out, at the public expense, works of reparation and reconstruction
tending solely to improve the private property of the individual owner, at a great and constantly
increasing cost to the ratepayers, and urging him to do all in his power to remedy, by early legislation,
the injustice at present suffered.
Supervision of Re-Construction and Repair of House Drains.—The Council made
an important new departure last year, in regard to this matter, by adopting a report of the
Public Health Committee, dated 13th December, as follows:—
" We have had before us the subject of the supervision of drainage works executed under
statutory notice, and having referred the same to a Sub-Committee for consideration, have received
a report, dated 6th December, from such Sub-Committee, as follows:—
"We have had before us, pursuant to the reference by your Committee of the 15th ultimo,
the question as to the supervision of drainage works executed under statutory notice,
and after careful consideration have decided to recommend—
"That in the case of all ordinary statutory notices to abate nuisances, the supervision
of all sanitary works to be executed thereunder, be left in the hands of
the Public Health Department; and where such works entail a reconstruction,
or material alteration, of the drainage system, all plans and sections required
to indicate the work to be done under the statutory notice shall be submitted
to the Borough Engineer for his inspection and approval, and for the purpose
of the necessary record, and that, in special cases, such as combined drains or
complicated blocks of flats, the question of supervision be referred to the Public
Health Committee.
"In submitting the above recommendation, we are fully alive to the necessity which exists
for fixing the responsibility for the due supervision of the various works upon the heads
of the respective departments, and for an adequate check being instituted upon the
officers actually carrying out such supervision; and we therefore suggest that it should
be made clear that the Medical Officer of Health, as head of his department, should
be responsible, in cases where works are supervised by the Public Health Department,
in the same manner as the Borough Engineer accepts responsibility for works executed
under his department; and that Mr. Pettit, the Chief Sanitary Inspector, should check
the work of the Sanitary Inspectors, where necessary, in the same way that Mr Hill,
the Chief Drainage Inspector, controls the work of the staff under him."