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94
CONVEYANCE OF THE CARCASES OF DEAD HORSES ALONG
PUBLIC STREETS.
Many years ago I called attention to the distressing spectacle presented by the removal of
dead horses through the streets, usually in unsuitable carriages, the head of the animal hanging out
at the back, near to the ground, and sometimes dripping blood. This sad sight it may be hoped
will be seen no more in London, the County Council having exercised their power under
Section 54 of their General Powers Act, 1903, and framed a by-law dealing with the matter, which
having been approved by the Local Government Board, is now in force, and reads as follows:—
"By-Law with respect to the mode of conveying the carcases of dead horses through and along public
streets in the County of London.—Any person who shall convey the carcase of a dead horse through
or along a public street in the County of London, shall use for such purpose a vehicle
constructed and closed in such manner that such carcase shall be completely concealed from
public view, and the body of such vehicle shall be made of or lined with impervious material so
as to prevent any liquid or discharge from the said carcase escaping from such vehicle.
"He shall so convey such carcase along the public streets with all reasonable dispatch, and
so as to prevent any nuisance arising therefrom.
"Any person who shall offend against this by-law shall be liable for each breach of such
by-law to a penalty of forty shillings.
" This by-law shall not extend to the City of London."
Section 55a of the Act in question places the duty of enforcing the by-law upon the Metropolitan
Borough Councils.
WATER SUPPLY.
The Water Bill introduced in the Session of 1902, became law, and in conformity with the
provisions of the Act, a representative "Water Board" has taken over the undertakings of the
several waterworks companies. With respect to the supply by the three companies (Chelsea, Grand
Junction, and West Middlesex) which serve Kensington, there has been no complaint on the score
of quantity; but the Council's Public Analyst has not been able to report so favourably as could be
desired with regard to the quality of the water. No complaints on the subject were received by the
Council, and certainly there was no evidence forthcoming of injury to health from the use of the
water. Constant supply has long been given in all parts of the borough. What policy the Water
Board will adopt in regard to the duties devolved upon them by the legislature, remains to be seen;
it is to be hoped, in any case, that they will find means of avoiding the practice of cutting-off the
supply to houses for non-payment of rates—a practice which, happily, has for some years been
largely on the decline, consequent on remonstrances addressed to the companies by the late
Vestry, at my instance, and by other public bodies.
Water Supply of Tenement Houses.—Under date 7th February of the present year, the County
Council addressed a communication to the Metropolitan Borough Councils calling their attention
to a decision by a Metropolitan police magistrate, as the result of proceedings taken, in December
last, by the Woolwich Borough Council, with regard to the water supply of a three-storeyed tenement
house, having six rooms occupied by five families, and supplied with water from a stand-pipe
in a yard approached from the rear of the premises. The Borough Council had served the owner
of the premises with a statutory notice requiring him to provide a water supply to the first and
second floors of the house, with properly fitted stoneware sinks and trapped waste-pipes to discharge
over the yard gully. The magistrate ruled that the stand-pipe in the yard was not a "proper and
sufficient supply of water" within the meaning of Section 48 of the Public Health (London) Act,
1891, and that there should be a separate supply to each floor: an order made to abate the
nuisance was carried out. The decision in the particular case may be regarded as reasonable, but
I fear the Public Health Committee of the County Council adopted too broad a generalisation in
assuming that it might be regarded as a sufficient substitute for the legislation which the Council
had resolved to promote—to enable sanitary authorities to require a supply of water to the tenants
of each floor in tenemented houses—although the Parliamentary Committee had advised that it was
by no means clear that the present law was not sufficient to meet the case.