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18
The Workshop Regulation Amendment Act passed in the last Session of
Parliament, relieved Vestries from the duty previously imposed upon
them in reference to the hours of labour, and the employment of young
persons, matters which now rest with H. M. Inspector of Factories, but the
jurisdiction of the Vestry still remains intact so far as relates to the overcrowding
or general insanitary condition of Workshops.
In October I inspected the Slaughter Houses and Cow Houses of the
parish previously to the Annual Licensing, at which the Justices granted
Licences for 111 Slaughter Houses, and 67 Cow Houses; I found them, on
the whole, well kept,but thought it necessary to report the condition of a certain
number to the Sanitary Committee, who viewed these, and sent a report to the
Vestry advising them to oppose absolutely the licensing of three Slaughter
Houses and one Cow House; the report was adopted and the opposition
maintained successfully in these cases.
I found, however, that in four instances there were Wells in connection
with Cow Houses, and perfectly agreeing with Dr. Ballakd as to the
extreme undesirability of this arrangement by which water from the subsoil
of London, which is liable to become impure at almost any time, and
which always contains the results of the oxidation of organic refuse, may
be distributed to a whole neighbourhood, with a possible repetition of the
results that were so graphically described by Dr. Ballakd in his last
Annual Report (it will be remembered that he traced an epidemic of
Typhoid Fever to Milk, which had been diluted with water rendered impure
by storage in an underground tank ) I advised the opposition of the
renewal of the licences in these cases, until the Wells had been filled up and
a proper supply of water obtained.
The Vestry opposed on these grounds, but the Justices granted the licence
in each case unconditionally.
With regard to the private Slaughter Houses, the Metropolitan Buildings'
Act of 1844, (Vic. 7 and 8, cap. 84, Sec. 55), provides that after the period
of 30 years they shall be considered nuisances, and shall not be allowed to
exist "at a less distance than 40 feet from any public way, or than 50 feet from
any other such buildings of the first or Dwelling House class;" it leaves,