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114
Much of Lord Llangattock's property has drainage of the
"combined" character. For the Local Authority to have the enormous
expense of redraining the property for him would be little short
of a scandal, especially where Lord Llangattock is either in receipt
of, or on the eve of receiving the rack rent of the property. In many
instances the Council has not been advised to reconstruct much of
this defective combined drainage as the property itself was so old as
to require demolition
In regard to 38, London Road, the sanitary inspector visited the
premises on the 15th October on house to house inspection. On
putting a chemical test into the drain he found distinct evidence of
an escape of the smell of the tester into the open air. On the 16th
October an intimation notice was served to amend the drain, and on
the 12th November a statutory notice was served. On the 22nd
November nothing having been done by the owner a notice was
served upon the occupier under Section 40 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, and Section 82 of the Metropolis Local Management
Act, 1855, to the effect that the drain would be uncovered
for inspection. Prior to this, on the 20th November, the inspector
had had an interview with Mr. Salmon, Mr. Dickins' agent, when
the drain was again tested, but no smell from the tester was noticed.
This may be accounted for by the heavy and altered condition of the
atmosphere and the large amount of rain which had fallen about
that time.
The case of 38, London Road being a single drain, and not
having had the branches relaid and the end of the main drain
uncovered, there could be no similarity between the case of that
house and those included in the arrangement come to in Mr. Dickins'
letter of March, 1902, as will be seen on a reference to a copy of that
letter which I append hereto.
I have had twenty years' experience in the construction of house
drainage, and I say that when any doubt exists as to the soundness
of a drain it is the accepted and the best practice to have the drain
in a portion of its extent uncovered for inspection; no walking over
the ground or putting a chemical test into the drain will sufficiently
declare its condition.
I need hardly say that it is the duty of a medical officer of
health not only to remedy nuisances brought to his notice, but to
search for insanitary conditions likely to endanger the health of the
inhabitants, and it is these sections 40 and 82 before mentioned