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81
A good deal of overlapping of work and division of
responsibility in connection with drainage alterations has, it is
believed, been eliminated. The rule of the Department now is
that whenever any complaint is received in regard to drainage,
the District Inspector makes a surface examination and the
preliminary inspection, using possibly chemical tests, smoke
tests, and the like. If he finds that there is a merely trifling
defect he carries the remedy through to completion. If, on the
other hand, this preliminary examination discloses a more
serious state of affairs, he makes a suggestion in his Journal that
the drains be opened up for examination. After approval by
your Medical Officer of Health the usual request to the Works
Department is issued, and the case is thereupon handed over at
once to the special drainage Inspector concerned, who visits the
drains when they are opened up, issues the necessary Intimation
and Statutory Notice, and supervises the whole of the re-constrnction.
In this district, where speculation in lease-values
appears to be very freely indulged in, one is constantly being
asked to allow departures from the strict requirements of
Statutory Notices and Intimations. Each case of this kind has
to be dealt with on its merits, but the general rule is that leaselife
is not accepted as an excuse for modification of requirements
which would otherwise be necessary.
In order to have a more complete record of drainage work,
the form used in depositing plans has been slightly amended,
and a lengthy form of specification has been drafted which we
now require the builders to fill in in detail. The use of this form
has the double advantage that the Department gets all the
information it requires, and that the architects and builders are
shown precisely the nature of the specification which is required
from them. Notices of approval of plans are now sent out
direct from the Public Health Department, the duplicate being
returned to the person depositing the plans.
DISCHARGE OF PETROLEUM INTO SEWERS.
In consequence of a somewhat severe accident to one of the
Council's workmen—an accident which might easily have proved
fatal—the attention of the Works and Public Health Departments
was drawn to the important question of the admission of
petroleum into the public sewers. Communication with the
London County Council brought to light the fact that, although
everything possible was being done to ensure the provision of
petroleum interceptors in an indirect fashion by requiring
applicants for licences under the Petroleum Act to provide such
interceptor as a condition of the granting or renewal of the
licence, no direct power existed.