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Drainage, &c., Plans— Six hundred and twenty-one sets of plans
were examined during 1907. 507 of these resulted from notices served
by the Public Health Department, and 114 were plans of new buildings
or re-constructions, the drainage of which is under the supervision of
the City Engineer, with the exception of such matters as come under
the Public Health Act and by-laws made thereunder in respect
of water closets, water supply, ventilation, &c.
In 151 instances the plans had to be amended, and sanction was
refused altogether with regard to three of them.
Failure to send in plans as required by law occurred in forty
instances.
Infringement of the by-laws in connection with the erection of
buildings occurred in twenty-five instances.
Proceedings against the persons offending were taken in tlie
following instances
(rt) E. E. Battistoni, of 25, Hanover Square, for failure to give
notice of intention to construct water-closet and for fitting a
defective soil-pipe. Fined 10s. and 4.s. costs.
(5) H. and E. Lea, 3 and 4, Warwick Street, Pegent Street, for
failure to deposit plans. Fined 10s. and 2s. costs.
In the other instances the persons responsible were cautioned by
the Public Health Committee that further proceedings would be taken
on subsequent neglect.
Testing Drains.— One thousand four hundred and twenty-six tests
were applied to 1,365 drains, soil-pipes, &c., during the year, of which
336 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 reconstruction, drains below
ground are tested with water, pipes above ground with smoke or air.
The numbers of each test employed were:—-
Chemical 509
Water 576
Smoke 239
Air 102
Flooding from Insufficient Sewers.— Complaints have been made for
many years that at certain seasons of the year, especially when there is
a conjunction of heavy rainfall with high tides, houses in parts of the
City become flooded through the inadequacy of the main sewers. The
attention of the County Council was called to this by the City Council,
and the former body in reply state that a new low level sewer is now