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SANITARY WORK, 1895.
17
it rose to 133. The writer believes it had some connection
with the intense frost in February, 1895. More than a
third of all the water-service pipes, and not a few of the
water-mains, were, in that memorable season, damaged;
those which showed evidence by flooding basements or leaking
on to the surface have long since been repaired, but
smaller leaks and fine cracks would remain concealed. It
is probable that here and there local pollution of the water
supply occurred.
The fever followed the usual course (see chart opposite
page 12)—it rose in June and July, fell in August, and
then rose again in September, October, November, and in
the first week of December suddenly decreased.
SANITARY WORK, 1895.
At page 34 will be found a summary of details of
Sanitary Work carried out by the six Sanitary Inspectors.
First of all, with regard to direct complaints of
insanitary condition. These are about the average;
1,633 complaints are recorded in 1895, as compared with
1,556 in 1894.
The number of inspections are roughly about 1,500
annually.
The notices or orders for abatement issued by the
Vestry, and each week placed upon the table and referred
to in the agenda show a decrease, viz., 484, as against 774 in
1894; the reason is partly because a less number of houses
were found defective, and partly because the great majority
of cases do not come now under the direct cognizance of
the Vestry. Directly any insanitary condition is found, the
Statute has provided that an "intimation" of the defect is
to be at once sent to the owner or to the person who is
responsible for either causing the nuisance or abating it.
The consequence is that, in the majority of cases the
matter is at once put right and there is no necessity for a
formal Vestry order.