View report page

41
WATER SUPPLY TO TENEMENT HOUSES
(Special Report presented to the Council oil May 11th, 1905.)
A circular letter, dated 7th February 1905, has been addressed
to the Lambeth Borough Council from the London
County Council, drawing the Council's attention to the decision
of the Magistrate at Woolwich Police Court, on the
16th December, 1904, to the effect that the supply of water
from the tap in the yard of a certain three-storied tenement
house in W oolwich (1, High Street) was not a proper and
sufficient supply, within the meaning of Section 48 of the
Public Health (London) Act, 1891, which provides that an
occupied house, without a proper and sufficient supply of
water shall be a nuisance liable to be dealt with summarily
under the Act, and, if it is a dwelling-house, shall be deemed
unfit for human habitation.
The London County Council in their letter suggest that
the Lambeth Borough Council (and other Metropolitan City and
Borough Councils) should take steps to secure the provision
of a proper and sufficient supply of water for the tenants
of every floor of a tenement house. I cannot as Medical
Officer advise that the action suggested by the London
County Council should be adopted as a routine in Lambeth
Borough, as it is by no means certain that the decision of
the Woolwich Magistrate in the particular case mentioned
would apply to all tenement houses throughout London.
The Woolwich decision holds good only for the particular
house in Woolwich in connection with which the decision
was given. I am of opinion that the decision given in the
Woolwich case was fair and equitable, having regard to all
the particular facts—the tap in the yard not being a proper and
sufficient supply for all the tenements in that particular threestoried
house. The custom in Lambeth Borough hitherto has
been to require a water supply to each tenement ill the case of
new tenement buildings, or of old buildings reconstructed
for the purpose of being sub-let in tenements, so as to
provide, as far as practicable, a separate water supply with
separate sink and waste pipe under the tap (to carry off all
drippings and waste to the drain) for each separate
family.
I am of opinion, however, that it would be somewhat of
a hardship to enforce a separate water supply to each floor