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could possibly acquire an eastern entrance in conjunction with
the improvements to be effected by the erection of the new Board
School on the Wellington Square site. This open space would
then become a useful and healthful recreation ground.
In the next Ward, No. 7, the Burial Ground adjoining the Whitfield
Tabernacle, between Tottenham Court Road and Whitfield
Street, is fast becoming a serious nuisance from the accumulation
of rubbish cast there, and only partly hidden from public
gaze by an unsightly hoarding. This spot should form a
pleasant oasis in the desert of houses by which it is surrounded.
A movement has also been on foot for adding the Parliament
Hill Estate to Hampstead Heath, and devoting it to the open air
use of the public instead of to building purposes. It is to be
trusted that a movement of such great benefit to St. Pancras
will receive strong support, and ultimately prove successful.
MORTUARY BUILDINGS AND DISINFECTING
APPARATUS.
The provision of a mortuary, now in course of erection, both
for infectious and for non-infectious cases, will prove a valuable
addition to the sanitary requirements of the Parish, although
if utilized to the extent that health would demand provision for
a score of bodies should prove inadequate for a population of
close upon a quarter of a million inhabitants. When once the
prejudices of the poorer classes are overcome, experience will be
gained of the accommodation necessary. The structure now
completing will be a notable landmark in the sanitary progress
of St. Pancras.
The disinfecting apparatus will also provide in a more
efficient manner for the great amount of disinfection necessary
in this large parish. The steam process of disinfection has
proved successful in various public institutions, but your
engineer and architect considered it inapplicable, because of the
initial expense, of the skilled labour required, the risks in the
use of steam, and the difficulty of drying. The hot air process
adopted in its stead is ingenious in its arrangements, and I
trust will prove as efficacious in its working.
The proposed Coroner's building will allow enquiries into the
cause of death to be conducted with greater facilities for medical
examination, and with the dignity and the decorum that the
cause of justice demands.