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water will become stagnant and offensive; in such a case it is desirable to remove
the cistern altogether; for even if it be run dry and the supply be cut off, it will
remain to accumulate dust and dirt and harbour vegetable and animal living
organisms. The Bye laws of your Vestry (under the Public Health (London)
Act, 1891), to be confirmed by the Local Government Board, in reference to tanks,
cisterns, and receptacles for storing water, will facilitate the work of your
Inspectors in protecting the purity of domestic water, and will be of especially
timely assistance if cholera should threaten.
DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE.
The Regulations of your Vestry in reference to drainage (set out in last year's
report) will be supplemented at no distant date by the Bye-laws of your Vestry
for keeping w.c.'s supplied with sufficient water for their effective action, and by
the Bye-laws of the County Council with respect to w.c's and the proper accessories
thereof in connexion with buildings, these Bye-laws being drawn under the
Public Health (Loudon) Act, 1891.
The mention of sewerage cannot be passed over without drawing attention to
the great improvement effected by your Vestry in replacing the old defective
by new and improved sewers in Gordon and Tavistock Squares and the adjoining
thoroughfares.
REFUSE REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL.
During 1891 the old system of house-dust collection was still in force, and it
must be reserved for the report of 1892 to speak of the improvements effected by
the system since adopted, and foreshadowed in the previous annual report.
Two important additional points in connection with refuse removal are
receiving attention. The first is the question of the method of disposal that your
Vestry has under consideration, and that will propably be solved by the erection of
refuse destructors; and the second is the method of temporary storage upon private
premises, which will probably be provided for in the Bye-laws of the London
County Council by the requirement of portable metal dust-bins
NUISANCES.
Water Nuisances.—A cistern in such a state as to be dangerous to health is
a nuisance under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891. This new provision
materially facilitates the protection of domestic water supplies in the presence
of a threatened cholera outbreak, and the coming Bye-laws iu reference to tanks,
cisterns, and other receptacles will complete it'.
Drain Nuisances.—By means of the volatile and smoke tests and other facilities
supplied to your Sanitary Inspectors, they are now better enabled to verify complaints
of drain nuisances than formerly.
Accumulations of Bones, 8(c.—The accumulations of decomposable organic
matters liable to take place in marine stores or rag and bone shops, situated
beneath or in contiguity to dwelling houses, receive periodical attention for the
purpose of preventing the quantity or condition of such accumulations becoming
dangerous to health.
Sunken Manure-pits.—A dung-pit in such a state as to be dangerous to health
is a statutory nuisance and the objections to sunken receptacles for manure, &c.,