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16
The first and second stages of the St. Mary's Lane soil sewer
have been completed, the former consisted of laying a total length
of 11,020ft. made up as follows:—27in.—4,525ft., 24in.—1,945ft.,
21in.—4,550ft., from the Bury Farm Works to a point near the
"Thatched House", St. Mary's Lane, Cranham, the tender price
being £63,500. The second stage consisted of a total length of
5,197ft. of 15in. sewer from a point near the "Thatched House",
St. Mary's Lane, Cranham, to the junction of Kings Gardens/Front
Lane, Cranham, at a total cost of £24,400. The Bury Farm Works
themselves will of course also require considerable extension and
this work is in fact in hand.
Conversion.
The Council agreed that subject to certain conditions one half
the cost of the expenses reasonably incurred in replacing pail closets
by water closets connected to the sewer at 1 and 2, Druces Cottages,
Hacton Lane, and 1, 2 and 3, Knights Cottages, Hacton Lane, be
borne by them.
Cesspools.
There still remain some parts of the district in which the provision
of main drainage is unlikely to be achieved for a considerable
time to come—the sanctioning of cesspool accommodation on a
limited scale is therefore an unfortunate necessity.
Cesspools are it is to be regretted all too often inseparable from
potential or actual nuisance. However adequate their capacity may
appear in theory it tends to be forgotten—if it is ever recognised—
that whilst persons living in a house served by a cesspool may and
probably will have amenities equal to those enjoyed by householders
with main drainage, it is in practice impossible for them to make
an equal use of such facilities without seriously jeopardising the
capacity of their cesspool. The result is that a common source of
complaint is the overflowing of either an individual cesspool or of a
common cesspool serving a group of houses. The only solution to a
problem of this kind is of course an extension of main drainage
sufficient to serve all the houses at least in the urban part of the
area and this should in fact be our aim although force of circumstances
is likely to render it impossible of achievement for a considerable
time to come.
Where a part of the area is involved for which main drainage
seems impracticable in the foreseeable future then the only solution
appears to be either sufficient frequency of emptying to cope with
their problems or the provision of a small treatment plant to serve
the properties involved. Such plants of course are by no means
cheap to instal and subsequently need continued supervision if they
are to be regarded as a solution to the problem with which they are
intended to cope and not merely an aggravation of it. Whichever
of the alternatives is chosen it must in any event be allied to a
realistic use of the facilities, e.g. baths, etc., by the householders
concerned.