View report page

123
Inspection of
poultry,
There were 19 infringements, 16 written cautions and 3 convictions, with penalties
and costs amounting to £29 12s.
During 1923 representations were made to the Minister of Agriculture and
Fisheries by the Poultry Advisory Committee and the National Poultry Council
as to the danger of the spread of infection among poultry at markets and auctions
and suggesting that veterinary inspectors should extend their examination of stock
at markets and marts so as to include poultry. The existing powers of the Minister
in respect of poultry are limited to those contained in the Poultry Act, 1911, which
enables the Minister to make Orders (i.) for protecting poultry from unnecessary
suffering in connection with their exposure for sale and their disposal after sale,
and (ii.) for requiring the cleansing and disinfecting of receptacles or vehicles. The
Minister asked for the views of the Council as to (i.) the desirableness of obtaining
statutory powers for the purpose mentioned, and (ii.) the practicability of enforcing
such requirements. The Council, on 23rd October, 1923, expressed the opinion
that it was desirable that live poultry at wholesale markets and other such places
should be subject to compulsory veterinary inspection.
CHAPTER XXVI.
MAIN DRAINAGE.
The district drained by the Council's main drainage system has an area of nearly Drainage
149 square miles with a population (in 1921) of 5,333,387. This includes an area of area and statistics.
nearly 32 square miles, with a population of 850,138, outside London.

The sludge vessels made 2,217 trips and travelled altogether 244,778 nautical
miles.
London
sewage
system.
The Council's by-laws prescribe the methods for the drainage of premises, and
subject to these, the metropolitan borough councils are charged with the control
of house drainage. Disputants have a right of appeal to the Appeal Committee of
the Council (see p. 120). The metropolitan borough councils provide local sewers
for house drainage and surface water, the plans of these sewers being subject to the
approval of the Council. From the point at which local sewers discharge into main
sewers the Council becomes entirely responsible. The main sewers, many of which
are on the lines of streams formerly discharging into the Thames, now connect with
intercepting sewers which run roughly parallel to the Thames. In turn the intercepting
sewers connect with the outfall sewers which convey the sewage to the outfalls,
where, after the extraction of solid matters, the effluent is run off into the river
and the solids are sent to sea in specially designed sludge vessels. For the disposal
of rain-water, storm-relief sewers have been constructed which discharge into the
Thames by the shortest practicable route. Many main sewers also have storm
water outlets to the river. Sewage and storm water flow principally by gravitation,
but pumping stations are necessary at certain places.