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157
the interests of public health, it should be made a statutory
duty, and that they should be authorised to charge the owner
of the refuse a reasonable sum for the service. As the law
stands, the owner or occupier of any premises may "require"
the Sanitary Authority to remove any trade refuse, on payment
(sec. 33), but the Sanitary Authority need only, "if they
think fit," collect and remove "manure and other refuse
matter from any stables and cow-houses, the occupiers of
which signify their consent in writing to such removal"—a
consent which may be withdrawn or revoked with one month's
previous notice to the Sanitary Authority (section 36). The
owner of such refuse cannot "require" the Sanitary Authority
to remove it;* nor is he under any obligation to pay for the
removal, although, doubtless, many occupiers of stables would
be well-pleased to do so, and so, on the one hand, be quit of a
troublesome responsibility, and, on the other hand, be freed
from liability to fine for neglect of your Vestry's regulations,
which require the occupier to remove the refuse on Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday, or on Tuesday, Thursday, and
Saturday, in each week. This question has engaged the
attention of the Sanitary Committee on more than one
occasion, and in a report dated 7th September, 1892, they
stated that—
"In considering general matters bearing upon the sanitary
administration of the parish, they were led to
discuss the question as to the difficulty which is
at present experienced in securing the due and
periodical removal of manure and filth from the
stables and mews of the parish, and were of opinion
*It is a question, however, whether the refuse of a cow-house, or an omnibusyard,
or a cab-yard, may not be classed as "trade-refuse" which the occupier of the
premises may "require" the Sanitary Authority to remove, on payment: certainly
fish offal, and the offal from slaughter-houses, comes under the definition of "trade
refuse," and it is surprising that fishmongers and butchers do not "require" the
Sanitary Authority to remove it,