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officer of health of St. Pancras states that in cases where the roadway and footway of a mews are
taken over by the vestry and maintained, it is forbidden to put gullies, disconnecting chambers,
dust receptacles, &c., outside the buildings which in a mews have no forecourts. The Highways
Committee has " been urged to assist in the modification of this procedure, in the direction of
improved sanitary requirements, protecting the vestry by the necessary undertaking."
Removal of offensive refuse.
The medical officer of health of Poplar reports on nuisance caused by the removal of fish
offal to a private depot in Bromley, where it is received from various parts of London, antecedent
to subsequent removal in barges. The nuisance arose when the offal was shot from vans into a shed
where it was transferred to tanks and slung on to barges. When the tanks, with air-tight
tight lids, were received fully charged with offal, no nuisance was experienced, but when the tanks
were only partially filled, and were opened to receive more offal, nuisance arose. In the course
of enquiry it was found that fishmongers did not always deliver the offal to the collector when he
called for it, but often retained it two or three days, hence the tanks were only partially filled
before being returned to the depot, and the offal received was in an offensive condition.
The District Board decided to require, under section 36 (2) of the Public Health (London)
Act, a daily removal of offensive matter. If this course were adopted throughout London generally
nuisances from offensive refuse would be largely reduced.
Nuisance was also caused at the Blomfield-road depot by the removal to that depot of
condemned fish from the Shadwell-market, and it was arranged that the fish should be taken to
Billingsgate and barged away. The Belvedere Fish Guano Company were summoned for allowing
fish offal to remain for days at the depot instead of being immediately removed. Nominal penalties
were inflicted.
The Public Health Committee of the Poplar District Board had under consideration
nuisance caused by the emptying of receptacles containing fish offal into vans at the moment
of collection, and the question of requiring the receptacles to be conveyed to the depot with their
lids properly fixed. It was thought that by-law No. 5, made by the Council under section 16 (2)
of the Publie Health (London) Act, prohibited " the emptying in the streets into the vans or tanks
the offensive matter from the receptacles, the lids of which ought not to be removed." The Board
has since instituted an inquiry as to whether fishmongers, butchers, and others will be prepared to
pay the expenses involved in the provision of properly closed air-tight receptacles and their daily
removal by the Board. The medical officer of health of Kensington expresses the opinion that
the removal of the offal of the fishmonger, poulterer, &c., should be effected in the evening, and that
the offal " should be stored in galvanized iron receptacles with tight-fitting covers, and that the
offal should be removed in the vessels, a subsidiary advantage of the plan being that the storage
vessels could be effectually cleansed before being returned to the storekeeper."
The Vestry of Lambeth adopted the recommendation of the Sanitary Committee that all
descriptions of trade refuse be removed by the vestry (offal, builders' refuse and manure excepted),
and that the present price of 5s. 6d. per load of 36 baskets be altered to 2d. per basket for any
number of baskets.
Proceedings for the removal of offensive refuse in prohibited hours or in improper vehicles
were successfully instituted in Hammersmith, Fulham, Chelsea, and Lambeth each in two
instances, and in Newington and Plumstead each in one instance.
The question whether further powers should be sought with a view to preventing nuisance
from fish offal is receiving the attention of the Public Health Committee of the Council.
Removal of house refuse.
During the year inquiry was made by the Council's Public Health Department as to the
sufficiency of the system of collection of house refuse in Camberwell, with the result that it was
found that the sanitary authority failed to comply with the by-law of the Council, which requires
the house refuse to be removed from all premises not less frequently than once a week. In the
month of May the following report was presented to the Council by the Public Health Committee—
On 24th July, 1895, we directed the attention of the Vestry of Camberwell to the unsatisfactory
method of collection of house refuse as ascertained by inquiry in the parish. In their reply, dated
11th January, 1896, the vestry stated that the matter was still under consideration. On 30th April,
1896, the medical officer brought to the notice of the Committee the neglect to remove house refuse
from premises situated in Pinnock-terrace, Camberwell, where it was stated that no collection had been
made for several weeks. On 5th May, 1896, we asked the vestry to state what action they had taken
to improve the existing state of affairs. On 1st July, 1896, we informed the vestry that we
had decided to have a further inquiry made in the parish, but as a letter was received from the vestry
dated the 2nd of that month, stating that they had given instructions for a call to be made weekly at
each house to remove the refuse, we decided on 9th July not to proceed with the inquiry. This inquiry
had, however, already been begun with the result that considerable accumulations had been found in
streets where it was the practice for collection to depend on the exhibition of a " D " card or the hailing
of the dustmen in the street.
With a view to ascertaining the present arrangements for the collection of house refuse in Camberwell
a further inquiry has under our instructions been made in the parish by the Council's
inspector. His report is to the effect that in almost one-half of the large number of houses he visited
there were accumulations of refuse due to non-removal for two weeks or more. Many dust receptacles
were found to be dilapidated or insufficient. He states that the removal of the refuse is generally
dependent upon the exhibition of " D" cards in the window or upon the hailing of a dustman in the
street, and that although some houses may be called at regularly once a week, this would be quite
exceptional. He adds that some streets are very much neglected, and that he had frequent complaints
that the card had been in the window for two or three consecutive weeks, and that the householders had
often to write to the vestry, and again to wait another week before receiving attention. In almost every
street the men did not come round on the appointed day, so that it was almost impossible to know when
to expect them.