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77
under urgency notices. It is a common occurrence for the
drainage sub.committee to find that the plans submitted to
them for approval are plans of works that have not only been
begun, but completed. Most redrainage work is urgent and
should, therefore, be carried out as quickly as possible. When,
however, the work is not urgent it is important that the plans,
etc., should be received not less than 15 days before the work is
put in hand. This provision ensures that such work shall not
be begun until it has received the approval of the Health
Committee, which meets once a fortnight. If it were not for
this provision the approval of practically all the drainage work
in the Borough would pass from the Committee to the Officers,
and this, we apprehend, would hardly be in accordance with
the wishes of the Middle Classes Defence Organisation.
With regard to the second suggestion we would point out
that it is important that the Sanitary Authority should be in
possession of drawings showing the positions of soil.pipes,
waste.pipes, etc. The position of the open end of a soil.pipe
in relation to the nearest windows is a matter which receives
special attention from the drainage sub.committee. If no plans
were submitted the committee would be obliged to rely entirely
for their information upon the reports of the officers. At the
present time plans of all drainage works are brought before the
sub.committee which has been specially appointed to examine
such plans, and each plan is separately considered by the
committee. Moreover the plans are required in order that the
sanitary inspectors may exercise a proper supervision over the
work, and also that a permanent record of the work may be in
possession of the Council, and to this permanent record we
attach the greatest possible importance. Owing to the failure
to preserve such records in the past the ratepayers of London
have been compelled to pay large sums for the repair of
combined drains. We would point out that many combined
drainage cases have been decided by the position of a rainwater
pipe, and that a rainwater pipe in certain circumstances has
been held to be a sewer.
The expense of preparing the plans required by the
Sanitary Authority has been largely exaggerated. It is the