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47
Recourse to the artesian well for a water supply has now been made in 52
buildings throughout the City, and I am informed that the increasing demand made
upon the water-bearing strata has not resulted in any appreciable lowering of the water
"rest" level of those already in existence.
SMOKE NUISANCES.
Twelve instances of smoke nuisances were reported daring 1912. The number
of observations recorded amounted to 287, as against 334 noted in 1911.
The service of notices upon offenders resulted in the abatement of the nuisances
in all cases, and there has been no occasion to take further action in the matter.
While considerable reduction of smoke nuisance has been effected, much further
improvement would be possible were your statutory powers strengthened.
Attention has been invited to this matter in many of my former Reports, and
unfortunately it is still necessary to prove that the smoke emitted is "black" as well
as that the premises of the offenders are not used as a "private dwelling house," before
a prosecution is possible.
THE RAILWAY OFFICES BILL. 1912.
The Railway Offices Bill, 1912, was promoted by private Members of the House of
Commons with a view to securing a general improvement in the conditions of labour of
those employed in Railway Offices. Sections 1, 2 and 3 were confined to matters of
general sanitation, and Sections 4 to 9 to hours of labour.
The sanitary conditions that every Railway Office was expected to comply with
were as follows:—
(a) It must be kept in a cleanly state.
(b) It must be kept free from effluvia arising from any drain, water-closet, earth
closet, privy, urinal, or other nuisance.
(c) It must not be so overcrowded while work is carried on therein as to be
dangerous or injurious to the health of the persons employed therein.
(d) It must be ventilated in an efficient manner.
(e) It must be adequately lighted both by day and night.
( f) It must be provided with an adequate supply of pure drinking water.
(g) Adequate measures must be taken both by day and by night for securing
and maintaining a reasonable temperature in each room in which any
person is employed.
In order to secure proper observance of the requirements as regards cleanliness,
it was provided that all the inside walls of the rooms of a Railway Office and all the
ceilings or tops of those rooms and all the passages and staircases, if they have not
been painted with oil or varnished once at least within seven years, should be
limewashed, or if they have been papered, should be repapered once at least within
every fourteen months. If they had been painted and varnished they should be
washed with hot water and soap at least once within fourteen months.