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This he did. on 11th November, 1927, and on behalf of the
Minister of Health it was stated that he had no recent information on
the matter, but was communicating with the Borough Council.
It was subsequently ascertained in March, 1928, that an order had
been issued to lay on a supply of water from the mains of the Metropolitan
Water Board to the remaining premises of the Railway
Company in the Borough, and this has now been done.
Combined Drainage.
In many of the metropolitan boroughs, considerable sums of the
ratepayers' money are expended every year in the repair of combined
drains, which by a legal technicality have become "sewers" for which
the ratepayers are responsible. In Hampstead, however, nearly every
claim is successfully resisted, and only in rare cases, owing to the absence
of proper plans, is the Council obliged to assume responsibility for the
drains and repair them as " sewers."
There are two kinds of combined drain, the "combined drain" which
in law is a "drain," and the" combined drain "which is a " "sewer."
The former is repairable by the private owner ; the latter by the public
authority.
In the opinion of builders, owners, and local authorities, combined
drains were originally constructed as drains, and were mutually regarded
as such until the retrospective case of "Travis v. Uttley" (1893), the
effect of which has been to convert thousands of drains, which had been
privately owned and privately maintained, into sewers vested in the local
authorities, and maintainable at the expense of the ratepayers.
At different times various provincial and extra-metropolitan authorities
have been successful in obtaining powers to defend their position in
this matter, and to secure an amendment of the law which would relieve
the ratepayers of the heavy burden which the present admittedly defective
state of the law imposes upon them. In 1908, a Bill for London was
introduced into the House of Commons having for its object the amendment
of the law relating to combined drainage. This measure was the
outcome of various Conferences of the London Boroughs, but although
it was backed by influential members of Parliament, it was blocked by a
few London members and never reached a second reading.
The London County Council has introduced Bills at various times,
but these made no progress in face of the opposition encountered. In