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supervise drainage work during 1903, the Council amended their
By-laws as follows:—
i. The- supervision of all drainage works which are required to be
executed pursuant to a Nuisance Notice or Order; and the construction
of all water closets, soil pipes, and other apparatus which are the subject
of the provisions of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and the
By-laws made thereunder; and the approval of all plans relating
thereto, shall stand referred to the Committee (i.e., the Public Health
Committee) and the Public Health Department.
ii. He (i.e., the Medical Officer of Health) or officers duly authorised
by him, shall visit daily the Works Department, and shall inspect all
Drainage Plans and notices of Drainage Plans, Water Closets and Soil
Pipes, and shall afford to the City Engineer such facilities of access to
Drainage Plans and notices of Drainage Plans, &c., in the Public Health
Department, and to the possession thereof, as may be necessary for the
due compliance with the By-laws and Standing Orders.
Underground Dwellings.
When the City was re-incorporated it was found that, whereas in all
the other parts of the City the use of underground dwellings had not
been permitted, in St. James's Parish a number existed. In view of the
difficulty experienced by the poorer classes in obtaining other more
suitable living accommodation in the district, the Council resolved (under
the powers given by the Public Health (London) Act, Section 96, sub.
sees. 3 and 4) not to turn out the occupants of these dwellings all at
once, but ordered a list to be prepared, and an examination made, with
a view to prevent the use of such dwellings as, in my opinion, should
be closed at once, and, with regard to the remainder, notices were to
be served on the owner that, in the event of their being vacant, they
were, on no account, to be re-let separately for living purposes.
The use of such dwellings has been gradually decreased in accordance
with the instructions of the Council, with the result that of the original
number only five basement rooms are now occupied separately. Notices
have been served with reference to the illegal use of underground
rooms in 1901 in twenty-five instances, in 1902 in thirteen intances,
and in 1903 in nineteen instances. It should be pointed out that these
figures do not imply that in every case the use of the underground room
has been given up for living purposes. The law still permits the use of
an underground room so long as it is occupied in conjunction with a
room on another floor.