View report page

96
the petty sessional court; but as already stated proceedings
were postponed in deference to the request of the Council's
solicitor. After the failure of the Council's action the Committee
thought the wisest course, in the circumstances, would
be to defer taking proceedings, on behalf of your Vestry, as
sanitary authority : meantime endeavouring to get the proprietor
of the premises to effect certain improvements, which,
it was thought, might lessen the nuisance, to the gravity of which
several of the inhabitants of the district had testified in court.
These suggested improvements include the provision of a scour
or condensing apparatus, and elevation of the chimney shaft.
The proprietor signified his willingness to do anything in his
power to effect the desired object — although he denies the
existence of nuisance. N o complaints have been received since
the close of the proceedings, a fact which would seem to indicate
that the nuisance is more or less within control. It
remains to be seen what will happen on the return of warmer
weather, in summer, at which season the effluvium has always
been at its worst.
MARINE STORES.
The business of a marine store dealer is not scheduled in the
Public Health (London) Act, 1891, as an " offensive business,"
but it gives rise to offensive smells, and has been held by the
Appeal Court tobe ejusdem generis with the businesses scheduled,
originally, in the now repealed Slaughter-houses (Metropolis)
Act, 1874. At my instance your Vestry made application to
the late Metropolitan Board of Works, in 1883, to schedule the
business under that Act, but without success. And in 1896,
upon receipt of complaints of nuisance arising in the conduct
of the business, an application was made to the County Council
to schedule the business under the provisions of section 19 of
the Public Health (London,) Act, 1891. This application likewise
was unsuccessful. The subject was dealt with fully in the
annual report for 1896—pages 119-123. I have only to add
that the premises where the business is carried on are regularly
visited by the several sanitary inspectors.