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19
This is a narrative of a ease in which the powers, usually
tolerably efficient, of the Local Authority, were set at nought.
It is as well to remark, that throughout this business a man
was employed by us to go from time to time and abate the
worst nuisance, so that the poor tenants might not die of
fever, whilst the Local Authority was fruitlessly trying its
powers against an insolvent owner.
No. 11a, Farm-street. This is a stable, and it appeared
from the books of the Dispensary, Mount-street, for the week
ending August 22,1863, that three children, aged 9, 4, and
3, were there ill of scarlet fever. One of them was entered
as suffering from "debility after fever," in the week ending
September 5th. One of them had been entered for "gastric
fever," in the week ending June 20th. A visit was paid,
the place found in an extremely dirty state, such as would
breed or keep any fever; and, as it belonged to a respectable
physician, a recommendation was given that it should be
cleansed. As nothing was done, a notice was served on
24th October, followed by a summons, taken out on December
2, and heard on the 9th. Then as it appeared that it had been
served by the constable at the wrong house—(the officers of
the Marlboro'-street Police Court complain against the
system of serving summonses on "owners," and not on
persons duly designated)—it was withdrawn, and another
taken out, to be heard on the 16th. Then nobody authorized
to represent the "owner" appeared; so the magistrate
adjourned the case till the 23rd, then again to the 4th
January, and then to the 18th, when the rooms were reported
to be cleansed, and the costs paid. Proceedings repeatedly
adjourned like this are more comfortable to the defendants
than to the complainants.
Nos. 5, 7, and 8, Thomas-street. In our last Report we
spoke of the illness at No. 4, and of the risks of the spread