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104
"Dr. Hamer, the Council's Assistant Medical Officer of Health, gave
evidence supporting that given by the Medical Officer of the Borough
Council, and the following extracts from the proof of Dr. Hamer's
evidence show the conditions which he found on visiting the premises in
question on 13th December, 1904.
"'The house is a three storey house; a single man occupies the
ground floor rooms. A woman and her child occupy the first floor
front room; the first floor back room is separately let. In the top
floor front there are a man and wife and two children (one of the
children is, however, not always at home), and in the top floor back
there is a single man. The only appliance for supplying water for
domestic use to the occupiers of these five sets of tenements is that
situated in the back yard of the house. All water for cooking,
drinking, personal ablution, washing clothes, and scrubbing floors
has to be fetched from the yard; there is no wash-house, and the
copper in the yard is in a dilapidated condition.'
"'The tenants of the top floor store water in a pail, which is
kept on the landing at the top of the staircase; this staircase is very
dark and the pail is uncovered, and water stored in this manner is
liable to become polluted.'
"'The conditions as regards cleanliness of the rooms and staircase
are unsatisfactory, and this is not surprising having in view the
need of carrying water from the yard all the way upstairs! The
case is an important one and we think that the attention of all the
Metropolitan Borough Councils should be called to it.'
"We, therefore, recommend —
"That a letter be addressed to the Metropolitan Borough
Councils calling their attention to the decision of the
Magistrate at the Woolwich Police Court on 16th December,
1904, to the effect that the supply of water from a tap in
the yard is not a proper and sufficient supply within the
meaning of section 48 of the Public Health (London) Act,
1891, and expressing the Council's hope that they will take
all possible steps to secure the provision of a proper and
sufficient supply of water for the tenants of every floor of
a tenement house.
[Adopted