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complaint stated that such barges were frequently in the cut for from three to eight hours at a time. The
complainant was informed that if he gave notice to the sanitary inspector at the time of the existence
of the nuisance legal proceedings could be taken.
Question having arisen as to the application of the Council's by-laws to fat and bones when not
offensive, a deputation of persons engaged in trades in which these materials were used, waited on the
Public Health Committee.
The Public Health Committee, on the 20th March, thus reported to the Council on this subject.
By-laws under the Public Health (London) Act—Removal of offensive matter.
We have had under consideration a memorial of scapmakers, tallow-melters, and bone-boilers in or
near the county of London and a memorial of the butchers of London, asking the Council to modify its
by-laws under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, so that they shall not apply to the collection of fat
and bones from the shops of butchers and marine-store dealers. Deputations from the memorialists in
support of their petitions have attended before the Public Health Sub-Committee.
The soapmakers, tallow-melters, and bone-boilers state that in the conduct of their businesses they
have always collected at all times of the day fat and bones from the shops of butchers and marinestore
dealers, that the articles are collected two or three times a week, and, when necessary, daily ;
that it is of great importance to the petitioners in their businesses that the articles should be fresh,
and that they use every endeavour to obtain them in that condition. They state that such collection
in small quantities from numerous shops necessarily occupies longer time than the six hours allowed
by by-law No. 1 made by the Council under section 16 (2) of the Act. When the by-laws were advertised
the petitioners did not consider them as applying to their businesses, but recently several of the sanitary
authorities have sought to enforce the by-laws so as to prohibit the collection of bones and fat from the
shops in question, except between the hours mentioned in the by-laws. The Vestry of Fulham issued
summonses against Messrs. Wickens, Pease and Co., bone-boilers, but they were ultimately withdrawn
in order that the Council might be approached with a view to some modification of the by-laws if they
should be held to apply to the collection before described. Similar summonses against Messrs. Edward
Cook and Co., soapmakers, by the Clerkenwell Vestry were subsequently adjourned sine die for a
similar purpose. The vestry obtained a rule nisi for a mandamus directing the magistrate to hear and
determine the summonses, but the rule was dismissed on appeal. The memorials above referred to,
praying for a modification of the by-laws, have accordingly been drawn up and submitted to the Council.
We have given very careful consideration to the subject. The by-law objected to of course only
applies to the removal of offensive matter, and in case of proceedings it is fcr the magistrate to determine
whether or not a particular load of bones and fat is offensive. The petitioners express their decided
opinion that these articles are not offensive, except in very hot weather, though if they are not removed
at frequent intervals they would be liable to become offensive. Since the articles when inoffensive
can be removed at any hour of the day, it is evident from the statement of the memorialists that the
by-law would only apply under exceptional circumstances. When the articles are in an offensive state
we think their removal should be subject to restriction in the same way as other offensive matter. The
by-law was drafted after very careful investigation, and both the Council and the Local Government
Board were strongly of opinion that offensive material should not be removed during the night
time, when proper supervision cannot be exercised over its transport, but during the early hours
of the day when the streets are not crowded, and transport can be expeditiously effected. We do
not therefore see our way to recommend that any proviso should be added to the by-law exempting
from its operation the collection of fat and bones from the shops of butchers and marine-store
dealers. It is to the interest of both the butchers and the firms who collect these articles that
they should be collected when fresh, but should it be found in practice, that however expeditious the
method of collection, some offensive matter must accumulate, then we feel sure that some arrangement
could be made whereby the offensive matter could be separated from the fresh and inoffensive articles
and its collection and removal effected during the hours prescribed by the by-laws.
With a view, however, to meeting as far as practicable the wishes of the memorialists, we are
prepared to consider, in the event of a future revision of the by-laws, whether it is desirable to
somewhat extend the hours during which offensive bones and fat can be conveyed through the streets,
so that there may be no difficulty in collecting such articles and conveying them to premises outside
the county within the prescribed hours. We do not think a strong enough case has been made out
for at once altering the by-laws, which it will be remembered have only recently come into operation.
We recommend—
That the memorialists be informed that the by-law to which they take exception does not
apply to the collection of fat and bones from the shops of butchers and marine-store dealers,
except when these articles are in an offensive state, that the Council is not prepared to make
any alteration in the by-laws at present, but that a note will be kept of the memorials, and that
in the event of a future revision of the by-laws, the Council will consider whether it is desirable to
somewhat extend the hours during which offensive bones and fat can be conveyed through the streets.
With a view to securing the more complete enforcement of the Council's by-law relating to the
removal of offensive matter the Public Health Committee addressed a communication to the Commissioner
of Police, asking if the police might be instructed to take note of any infringement of the by-law and
inform the sanitary authority. The Commissioner was good enough to comply with this request.
Removal of House Refuse.
With a view to obtaining fuller knowledge as to the systems adopted by the several sanitary
authorities in connection with the collection and disposal of house refuse, Dr. Young was instructed to
make inquiry into the subject. I subsequently presented to the Public Health Committee a report
which had been prepared by Dr. Young, and which embodied the information which he had obtained
(see Appendix IV.). This report showed that in a large number of districts the removal of refuse from
houses depended upon the occupier hearing the cry of the dustman during his perambulation of the
streets or upon the exhibition in the window of a card indicating the need for the dust collectors'
assistance. Inquiry as to the manner in which house refuse is dealt with after collection showed
that in 25 districts in which the authorities make the collection, in 6 only is the refuse subsequently
manipulated in dust yards in London, in all other cases it is either destroyed by fire or removed outside
the county. In the case of 14 districts where the removal is wholly effected by a contractor, the refuse
of 10 is manipulated in dust yards in the county, in the remaining 4 it is tipped within or without
the county.
In order to learn the results obtained in the several districts by the systems adopted in connection
with the collection of refuse, an inspector (Mr. Williamson) was instructed to make inquiry at
a large number of houses in several districts.