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67
Testing Drains.—One thousand three hundred and thirty-four
drainage systems were tested during the year, of which 339 with smoke
or water were carried out under the supervision of the Sanitary
Inspectors by the men of the disinfecting staff. The routine is to test
a drain first by means of chemicals, and if necessary, subsequently with
smoke, air, or water. After re-laying, drains below ground are tested
with water, pipes above ground with smoke or air. The numbers of
each test employed were:-
Chemical 532
Water 567
Smoke 169
Air 147
Drainage By-laws.—In reply to a request from the London County
Council to be informed whether any difficulty has arisen in the City in
connection with the administration of the London County Council
By-laws made under Section 202 of the Metropolis Management Act,
1855, and asking for any suggestions with regard to the amendment
of these by-laws, the following report was made to the Public Health
Committee by the City Engineer and Medical Officer:—
We have carefully considered these by-laws, and beg to report that
very little difficulty has been experienced in connection with their
administration.
If they are being amended, we think it might be advisable to make
some alterations:—
(a) By-Law 3.—The word bath should be added so that it reads
" slop or other sink, bath or lavatory."
(b) Waste pipes from lavatories, sinks, &c., should not be taken
into an open hopper head, but should be connected to the
down pipe by proper junctions.
(c) A sink, bath or lavatory waste pipe might be allowed to
discharge into a rain-water pipe, if head of rain-water pipe
is above and sufficiently far away from any window, and the
rain-water pipe is sound and constructed of heavy metal with
joints of molten lead properly caulked.
(cl) By-Lav; 5c.—It is frequently impossible, owing to the whole of
the basement of a building being covered in, for gullies to be
fixed in the open air to take the discharge from rain-water
pipes and waste pipes—a gully with a sealed cover inside
the building has to be used, but this does not appear to be
provided for by the by-laws. It is also suggested that the
pipes connected therewith, especially rain-water pipes, should
be so constructed that the joints are quite air-tight, i.e., the
pipes might be lead or heavy iron with caulked lead joints.