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73
Water Supply. The water supplied throughout the
whole of the District by the Metropolitan Water Board still
maintains its high standard of purity.
During the year 112 water supply certificates have been
granted under Section 48 of the Public Health (London) Act,
1891; these certificates stating that the new houses to which
they refer are supplied with a proper water supply in accordance
with the Act. Defective water fittings have been
renewed in 14G cases; 17 water supplies have been reinstated
where the supply had been cut off; 45 water supplies have
been altered so as to draw direct from the main; the cleansing,
repairing, and covering of cisterns has been required in 61
cases.
Smoke Nuisances. Two hundred and fifty observations
have been taken for smoke nuisances during the year, but
on only 5 occasions was it found neecssary to issue Statutory
Notices for the abatement of any nuisance which was found.
One prosecution has been taken during the year on this
account, the summons being dismissed by the Magistrate with
costs against this Council on the ground that although the
Magistrate was satisfied that there was a recrudescence of the
nuisance from the same chimney within six months of the
service of the Statutory Notice requiring not only the abatement
of such nuisance but also to do whatever might be
necessary to prevent the recurrence of the nuisance, yet that
this said recrudescence was not in fact a recurrence because
the circumstances connected with the emission of the smoke
on the respective dates were entirely different. It was
considered that this verdict against the Council was a very
serious matter in reference to carrying out the provisions
of the Public Health (London) Act, relating to nuisances
from black smoke, and as it was thought that the facts of the
case fully justified the hope that a conviction would have
been secured and an order to prevent the recurrence obtained,
it was decided to appeal from this decision to the High