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The summons in respect to No. 10 Brunswick Street was for non-compliance
with a s'atutory notice as to the provision of a proper dust receptacle. That in
respect to Nos. 85 and 87 Brunswick Street was with regard to a defective drain. It
was claimed on behalf of the defendant that the pipe in question was a sewer, and as
such was repairable by the Borough Council. The facts were briefly as follows :—
Certain additions had been made to an existing system of drainage, owing to the
construction of a workshop and an additional water closet in the yard in rear of one of
the houses. The sanction of the Borough Council had not been obtained, nor was
there any order made in respect to these additions to the existing drain. The
additional drains were, however, within the same curtilage as the existing system.
The magistrate held that the drain in dispute was a drain and not a sewer, and made
an order for the defendant to do the necessary work in connection with it.
There was an appeal against the magistrate's decision, and the case was heard in the
Court of King's Bench on March 25th and 26th of the current year, before the Lord
Chief Justice and Justices Channel and Darling. The Court held that the magistrate
was right in his decision under the circumstances. The additions of a drain from a
water closet and a drain for taking water from the roof of a workshop to an existing
system of combined drainage sanctioned by the Commissioner of Sewers in 1853, all
the additional drains being within the curtilage of the premises ordered to be drained
by combined operation, were not sufficient to convert the existing combined drain into
a sewer. The appeal was accordingly dismissed with costs.
The summons against the owner of No. 74 Grange Street was taken out in
consequence of unnecessary delay in providing for the house a suitable water closet,
furnished with a proper water supply. "With respect to No. 3½ New Norfolk Street,
nuisance had repeatedly arisen through dung which had been allowed to accumulate;
two parties were summoned but in one case the summons was withdrawn.
In the case of No. 318 Old Street one summons was taken out in regard to a
defective drain, and another on account of the general insanitary and dilapidated
condition of the premises. The proceedings against the owner of Nos. 44-54 Shap
Street were taken on account of a defective drain common to these houses. The case
was adjourned by the magistrate for 21 days to enable the owner to get the necessary
work done. Satisfactory progress was not, however, made, and on the case again
coming before the magistrate, an order for the work to be completed in 14 days was
obtained.
With regard to the Holborn Workhouse the proceedings were taken owing to the
conditions which were found existing in connection with certain trough waterclosets
used by a large number of the inmates of the Workhouse. Early in the year the
state of these troughs attracted the attention of the chief sanitary inspector, who
happened at the time to be engaged in supervising the execution of some extensive
improvements in connection with a portion of the drainage system of the institution.
They were repeatedly found to be in such a state as to constitute a nuisance, and it was
felt that so long as the troughs were allowed to remain there would always be the
liability of a recurrent nuisance. After some correspondence with the Board of