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the premises, thus avoiding the main cause of stench nuisance,
to wit, the disturbance of the accumulated refuse in the transference
from the receptacle to the vehicle at the time of
removal. It was intimated that failure to carry out this suggestion
would entail proceedings under Section 21 of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1891, which I thought (and your Vestry's
solicitors and the Law and Parliamentary Committee were
of the same opinion), would enable us to abate the nuisance.
After some delay, the course recommended was adopted, and
at the present writing no further complaint has been received.
Having conferred with other Metropolitan Medical Officers
of Health, I am in a position to say that there is a consensus
of opinion that this plan of storage and removal is the only
practicable one for preventing nuisance, and that should it not
be adopted, in suitable cases, the County Council should be
requested to rescind the proviso to the bye-law, dealing with
the time and mode of removal of "offensive matter" through
streets. The bye law covers, as "offensive matter," the refuse
of cow-houses; but the proviso excepts "horse dung manure"
from the operation of the bye-law; although this refuse, when
peat moss litter is used, is more offensive than the refuse of
cow-houses.
Removal ok Stable Refuse: Action of the County
Council. —During many years I have advocated, in these
reports, the removal of offensive matters, including stable
refuse, by the Sanitary Authority, but at the cost of the
owner; and in 1892, when a visitation of cholera was apprehended,
the Sanitary Committee recommended your Vestry
to undertake this important act of scavenging. The Wharves
and Plant Committee, however, advised that the expense
would be too great, and so nothing was done. The view I
had expressed was that many people would be glad to pay the
cost of removal, especially of stable refuse, and so be quit of
the responsibility devolving upon them under the regulations,
which require removal on alternate days. At the same time
I thought that the refuse, especially from South Kensington