View report page

61
after the death, a mis-directed post-card was received by the
Local Registrar from the person who officiated at the burial,
baldly stating this fact. It is evident that such a conjunction
of circumstances renders evasion of investigation ir. suspicious
cases a comparatively easy task.
Sanitary proceedings of the year.—The past year has been
marked by a more thorough and systematic inspection of the
houses in this sub.district, than any of its predecessors. At
each house careful enquiries are made as to the presence of
overcrowding, infectious disease, or any special nuisance, in
addition to a careful examination of traps, closets, and
cisterns. The thoroughness of this inspection may be
gathered from the fact that out of 2,270 houses inspected, 954
notices to remedy sanitary defects were served on owners and
occupiers, and 721 drains were repaired or trapped. Considerable
delay in executing the necessary repairs occurred
in a large proportion of cases, landlords frequently evading
the notices or only partially executing the works. In only
21 cases however was it necessary to have recourse to the
Magistrate in order to obtain compulsory orders. It is unfortunate
that the necessary preliminaries to legal proceedings
take up so much time, and that even after the case is brought
before the Magistrate, it is so frequently" adjourned for 14
days "to give the delinquent a further breathing time.
In nine cases pig-keeping has been prohibited. In one
instance pig.keeping was prohibited by the Magistrate
in a piggery, which was 17 yards distant from the nearest
house, although the pigs were kept in as cleanly a condition
as seems possible. Action was taken in all cases under the
Metropolis Management Act, 25 and 26 Vict. c. 102, s. 91,
which gives the Magistrate power to prohibit the keeping of
pigs in unsuitable places, and does not necessitate the proving of
the existence of a nuisance. It is to be hoped that the favorable
decision of these cases will lead to the general abolition
of piggeries in this sub-district.