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67
Health Department of the construction of water closets in the case of
drainage work within the jurisdiction of the Works Department,
as well as in the case of drainage work executed pursuant to a
Nuisance Notice or Order. Thus, the cases of drainage work are
comparatively few in number in which it is not necessary for the
Officer of the Public Health Department to inspect and supervise
work which is subject to the provisions of the Public Health
(London) Act and the By-laws made thereunder.
" It appears that under existing arrangements the amount of
drainage work supervised by the Public Health Department is far
greater than that falling within the scope of the Works Department.
" We have consulted the City Engineer and the Medical Officer
of Health upon the subject. In his report of the 8th April, 1911,
the City Engineer states that the duties of the staff of the Works
Department in connection with drains, sewers and other sanitary
works are of such a ' multifarious and extensive nature, that the
relegation to them of the supervision of all construction work of
every class in connection with buildings and their sanitary schemes
would be but little felt.' The Medical Officer of Health informs us
that if the duty of supervising drainage works which are not
executed pursuant to a Nuisance Notice or Order were transferred
to the Public Health Committee and their Department, the work
could be undertaken without any additional cost to the Council,
except that the Council would not obtain from the London County
Council a moiety of such part of each Sanitary Officer's salary as
may be allocated as payment for the supervision of the additional
drainage work above mentioned.
" Having carefully considered the subject in all its bearings, we
have come to the conclusion that the control of the work under the
existing system is unsatisfactory, and that it would be advantageous
to the Council and more convenient to the owners of property and
builders if the supervision of all drainage works (except that part
of the drain which lies between the intercepting trap and the
sewer), and the construction of all water closets, soil pipes, and
other apparatus, and the approval of all plans relating thereto,
were referred to the Public Health Committee and Public Health
Department, and if the supervision of the construction of so much
of each drain as lies between the intercepting trap and the sewer
were referred to the Works Committee and Works Department.
"We think, however, that the Public Health Committee should
have the benefit of the engineering and constructural knowledge of
the Works Department, and that all drainage plans deposited