View report page

55
under the Act. Under these circumstances, although the sanitary
authority is to enforce the bye-laws, I suggested to the Committee
that a letter should be sent to the Chief Commissioner of Police from
the Board, seeking his aid, so that the nuisance arising from improperly
constructed fish offal carts might be stopped. It seemed
feasible that the police should help sanitary authorities in this matter,
for when owners knew that they were being watched in the main
roads they would most likely drive through the district by the smaller
streets, which could ill afford to bear offensive smells, and the police,
being constantly on duty, would be able to catch the offenders at all
points.
The Committee referred the matter to the Clerk to take the necessary
legal proceedings to cause abatement of the nuisance complained
of, and also to communicate with the Commissioners of Police with a
view to capture of the offenders.
I also called the attention of the Committee to a bye-law under
Section 16 (1) of the Public Health (London) Act, made by the
Poplar Board, which prohibits filth or other like matter or thing being
deposited or cast upon any street. This, no doubt, applied to any
water running off fish or meat stalls into the channels of the streets,
of which there were many complaints. Under Section 16 (4) the
police can interfere in this at any time that they see the offence being
actually committed. The channels opposite certain fish shops were
constantly running with water from off the stalls, and possibly from
out of the shops (which was another offence under the bye-law). In
some instances the channels of the road had been washed away, so
that the water remained and became offensive; hence the complaints
from the neighbours.
The bye-law and the amount of the penalty for its infringement
were printed, and the handbills left at fishmongers' shops, etc.
Whilst waiting in the Thames Police Court, I was much interested
in hearing Mr. Dickinson give his decision in respect to a summons