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be in conformity with the By.laws already in force in the City, and
limiting the application of the proposed By.law to furnished lodgings
let at not more than seven shillings a week.
Water Supply.
Applications were received for certificates that the water supply of
six new buildings was sufficient, and were granted in each instance.
164 notices of withdrawal of water supply were received from the
Metropolitan Water Board, and in 38 instances it was reinstated,
on notice. Additional sources of water supply on the upper floors of
tenement houses were provided in 1,049 instances. Legal proceedings in
connection with water supply were taken in six instances. Owners are
recommended in all cases to fit a proper sink in connection with the
new supply on upper floors and so prevent risk of walls and ceilings
being spoiled. As a rule, the Council has not asked for more than
one tap and sink between the first and second floors, but in some
instances owners have laid on water to each floor.
Complaints were made in the early part of the year that the water
supplied by the Water Board to the Council's swimming baths was
objectionable from the large amount of colour, due to the presence of
vegetable matter; representations were made to the Board on the
subject. The cause appears to be due to imperfect filtration during
times when the river is in flood, and to the want of sufficient storage.
Dr. Houston, the Director of Water Examination to the Water Board,
has shown that if water is stored for a sufficient period in reservoirs it
can be rendered quite "safe," provided that no accident happens in
course of delivery. In recent years considerable provision has been
made for such storage, but the reservoirs have been chiefly used merely
to cover periods of emergency. In order to obviate this, the Board is
constructing more reservoirs, so that no water shall be supplied to
London until it has been purified by storage.
As a result of the alteration in the method of charging for water,
several owners of property have been sinking wells, in order to tap the
supply of water contained in the chalk below the London clay. Analyses
of the water obtained have been made, and are appended. Curious
variations in the contents may be noted in the water raised from the
different localities. Water which is extremely soft has a tendency at
first to act upon lead pipes, but after a time they become coated with a
protective " skin." Analyses taken some time after the wells had been
in use showed that the waters contained no lead.