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37
The necessity for the appointment of an additional Sanitary
Inspector was emphasized by the adoption of the foregoing Byelaws,
and the further recommendation of your Committee to
appoint a third Inspector was duly passed by the Vestry and
became an accomplished fact about the middle of November,
from which time the services of Mr. H. E. Cox, the Officer
appointed, have been mainly directed to the registration of
houses let in lodgings, attention in the first instance being given
to such as contain more than three families, and, as already
stated, the inspections and enquiries necessitated by these
proceedings have bad the effect of discovering and dealing with
a much larger number of cases of overcrowding than had before
been brought under observation of the Public Health Department.
The third matter to which the London County Council directed
the attention of the Vestry was the necessity for further accommodation
at the Mortuary belonging to the Parish, whereby provision
should be made for the reception of the bodies of persons
who have died of infectious disease other than in the general
Mortuary ; this has been met by dividing off from the general
Mortuary (which was unnecessarily large) a separate chamber for
depositing the cases referred to, until removal for burial.
Use of Peat Moss as Litter.
The right of the Vestry to require provision being made for the
drainage of all stables, regardless of the nature of the litter used
for bedding the horses, has been called in question during the
year, and in one instance the notice to carry out the Vestry's
requirements was resisted up to a certain point. The Public
Health Committee, while satisfied that the Vestry possessed full
powers to enforce compliance with their notice, resolved, that in
view of the importance of the subject, to obtain the Vestry's
sanction to take Counsel's opinion on the matter, with the
following result:—
Question 1.—Whether, under the provisions of Section 75 of
the Metropolis Management Act, 18 and 19 Vic., Cap. 120,
the Vestry can compel the building owner to drain the
building in question?
Answer.—I am of opinion that the Vestry can compel the
building owner to provide a drain or drains for the building
in question. Section 75 provides that it shall not be lawful
to erect any building unless a drain be constructed of