View report page

126
Part IV. amends the London Building Acts, 1894 to 1908, and
deals with buildings of iron and steel skeleton construction, the
strength of materials, the construction and thickness of walls,
floors, pillars, the working stresses and strains permissible, and
gives power to make regulations as to the use of reinforced
concrete.
REMOVAL OF DUST AND HOUSE REFUSE.—This is
done by the Wharf and Cleansing Department under the superintendence
of Mr. Arthur May.
The refuse is removed weekly from all houses, oftener if necessary.
In the main thoroughfares it may be done daily. Every
house is provided with sufficient accommodation for the disposal
of ashes and refuse generally in the form of a round metallic bin
and cover. Whenever no such provision is made a notice is served
upon the owner to rectify the omission. This the owner usually
does immediately.
Complaints—verbal or written—with regard to non-removal are
occasionally received at the Public Health Department, and are
referred to the Cleansing Department for attention.
Special bins are provided by the Borough Council for the
collection of offensive refuse from fish shops, fried fish shops,
restaurants and wholesale butchers. A deposit of 8/- is required
for each bin—this sum is returned when the use of the bin is
discontinued. A sum varying from 1/- to 2/-, according to the
quantity removed, is charged for each occasion when the bins
are used. A specially constructed van is used for collecting this
refuse—the amount removed in 1909 was 8,320 bins. The household
refuse collected and destroyed in 1909 was 14,216 loads, the
trade refuse 2,308 loads—the total weight 21,570 tons.
The cost of collection was £5,645, the cost of disposal by
burning and barging £3,176.
The Council have a Horsfall destructor at 26, Wharf Road.
The house refuse is in part dealt with at Bull Stairs Wharf,
Southwark, and conveyed by barge down the Thames.