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67
Defective Connections to Sewer.—During the year, 30 reports were received from the City
Engineer respecting the condition of connections between the drains of certain City houses
and the public sewer.
Investigations showed that it was necessary to reconstruct 28 of the connections referred
to. As a result of the inspection of the internal drainage system of these premises, reconstruction
or alteration was found necessary in 24 instances.
In the majority of cases these external drains were brick-barrel drains, in which rats
had their breeding-places, and were, undoubtedly, a source of much annoyance to the
occupiers of the houses to which they were connected.
BASEMENT ROOMS USED FOR SLEEPING PURPOSES.
Some consideration was given during the year to a suggestion, made by one of the
Metropolitan Borough Councils, that legislation should be promoted requiring architects and
others proposing to construct basement rooms for sleeping purposes, to obtain the approval
of the appropriate local authority before the construction of such rooms. The legal position,
as I understand it, in regard to this matter, is that underground rooms used for sleeping
purposes are required to comply with certain conditions, but there does not appear to be
any power to prevent their construction. In other words, action can only be taken after
an offence has been committed, and it is the intention of the suggested legislation to enable
control to be obtained before construction.
Very little difficulty is experienced in the City in this matter and, so far as I am aware,
there is only one underground sleeping place therein. The difficulty is, in all probability,
however, one of considerable moment in thickly-populated areas, and the suggested legislation
would greatly aid those responsible for the local administration of public health law.
In these circumstances, the Corporation were pleased to make a representation to the
Ministry of Health advocating the desirability of legislation on the lines suggested.
PIGEONS.
I have continued to receive numerous complaints of damage and nuisance caused by
the congregation of pigeons within the City Area. In these circumstances, a campaign
on similar lines to that adopted in 1928 was put into operation, and a total number of 1,404
birds was caught by the Contractors, engaged by the City Corporation under the powers
conferred by the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1927. Of these birds, six
were ringed birds, and in accordance with the arrangement entered into with the Homing
Union, who are naturally desirous that private and perhaps valuable homing pigeons should
not be destroyed, these were despatched to the Secretary for return to their owners. The
balance of the birds were destroyed by dislocation of the vertebrae, under supervision of
my officers. The elaborate trapping methods which the contractors had originally intended
to use were found by experience to be not so successful as had been anticipated, mainly,
I am informed, on account of interference by misguided, though possibly well-intentioned,
persons. Hand-catching had to be resorted to, and this has, of course, resulted in a slowing
down in the rate of capture. It might be well again to emphasize the fact that it is not
the intention of the City Corporation to entirely clear the City of these birds, but rather
that a balance shall be struck between the aesthetically beautiful and the hygienically sound.
These birds were captured principally in the neighbourhood of St. Paul's Cathedral,
Guildhall, Mansion House, Royal Exchange, Carpenters' Hall, Fishmongers' Hall, and
Finsbury Circus.
THE FLY NUISANCE.
Although very few complaints were received during the year, possibly because of the
climatic conditions, attention was again directed to the Fly Nuisance as it affects workers
and residents, and especially restaurant premises in the City. Leaflets were distributed,
indicating certain precautionary measures which should be taken in order to minimise the
danger and nuisance as far as practicable, and drawing the attention of residents and others
to the necessity for the strict observance of cleanliness, frequent removal of dust, other
refuse, and particularly of waste foodstuffs. In all, some three thousand leaflets were
distributed. Special attention was also given to conditions existing in the several stables