View report page

116
authorities of the adjoining parishes of Chelsea, Fulham, and
Hammersmith. The County Council was approached, and
the final outcome is that the Council have decided to proceed
with the erection of a new pumping station at Lot's-road,
Chelsea, at a total cost of £60,000, and to apply to the Secretary
of State for consent to the compulsory acquisition of the
land required for the purpose. It is devoutly to be desired
that this measure may suffice to rid us of the nuisance, which,
in the nature of things—owing to the increase in the number
of inhabited houses draining into the local sewers—would have
become worse but for palliative measures adopted by the local
authorities in the reconstruction, deepening, and enlargement
of the said sewers.
HOUSE-TO-HOUSE INSPECTION.
So far as time permitted, house-to-house inspection was
carried on during the year, as required by section 1 of the
Public Health (London) Act, 1891 ; streets being dealt with
as a whole in conformity with the instructions of your Vestry.
This work had long been in practical abeyance owing to more
pressing engagements of the Sanitary Inspectors in regard to
matters requiring attention day by day. But when, in 1896,
these officers were relieved of the duty of supervising works
of repair of underground drainage, it was felt that some of
their time should be devoted to this important duty. I was
of opinion, moreover, that their attention should be. given
to some of the better class streets, the houses in which are
not always so well sanitated, structurally, as the houses in
many of the poorer streets, which have properly received
attention to the largest extent. I was led to suspect that this
might prove to be so by observing in the Inspectors' diaries,
that when they had had occasion to inspect " good " houses, on
complaint, or by reason of the occurrence of infectious disease
thereat, sanitary apparatus was but too commonly found to be
defective in construction or condition. It would be well to
have made a complete and systematic sanitary survey of all
the houses in the Parish, but it is not practicable in existing
circumstances.