London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
St Pancras 1895
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras]
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58
such later day, not exceeding eighteen months from such commencement, as
may be fixed by Order in Council." I am informed by the Medical Officer
of Health that the Council has made no Bye-Law dealing with refusal to
allow the removal of dust, being of the opinion that Section 116 of the
Public Health (London) Act, 1891, gives the Sanitary Authority all necessary
power. Section 116 (1), is as follows:—"If any person (a) wilfully
obstructs any member or officer of a Sanitary Authority, or any person duly
employed in the execution of this Act, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding
Five Pounds."By Section 31 of the same Act it is enacted, "Every
Sanitary Authority shall employ a sufficient number of scavengers, or contract
with any scavengers, whether a Company or individuals, for the
execution of the duties of the Sanitary Authority under this Act with
respect to the sweeping and cleansing of the several streets within their
district, and the collection and removal of street refuse and house refuse, and
the cleansing out and emptying of ash-pits, earth-closets, privies, and cesspools."
It is quite clear from this that the scavengers or dustmen who are
employed by the Contractors on behalf of the Sanitary Authority are persons
duly employed in the execution of this Act, so that any person refusing to
allow the scavengers or other persons employed by the Contractors in the
collection of house refuse to remove the refuse when called upon is guilty
of obstruction under Section 116 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891,
and liable to a fine not exceeding £5 accordingly.
| 1891. | 1892. | 1893. | 1894. | 1895. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | 6812 | 8404 | 49 | 16 | 141 |
| 2nd ,, | †5170 | *1867 | 60 | 152 | 172 |
| 3rd ,, | 3092 | 26 | 2 | 45 | 57 |
| 4th „ | 3571 | 38 | 11 | 11 | 55 |
| Totals | , 18,645 | 10,335 | 122 | 224 | 425 |
†Transferred. * New system introduced.
The complaints are due to the neglect of the dustmen to call at the proper
weekly period, and hence are most numerous towards the end of the first
quarter and at the commencement of the second quarter, when the contracts
change hands. In case of complaint a special default cart is at once sent, and
the extra cost is defrayed by the defaulting contractor. The relative efficiency
of the contractors may be judged by the number of complaints, as the system
of dust collection registers automatically.