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too late in the day, and they have cautioned the drivers and the cowkeepers
also. One of two courses may be suggested by way of trying
to put a stop to the annoyance. The renewal of the license of offending
cowkeepers may be opposed, or proceedings may be taken to enforce
a penalty under the 219th section of "The Kensington Improvement
Act," which relates to the "conveying of offensive matter at improper
times." But before this can be attempted, your Vestry must frame
regulations and fix certain hours within which only it shall be
lawful to remove "offensive matters," and this is about to be done by
the Law and Parliamentary Committee. It is doubtful, however, whether
your Vestry have any power to interfere in the matter complained
of;—that is, whether the carting of cow-dung through the streets after,
say 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning, is an offence at law any more than
the carting of stable manure? Over the hours for the removal of the
latter we. have no control, though the state in which it is sometimes
carted is very offensive; but with respect to the removal of manure
from licensed cowsheds, we can at the least bring moral force into
operation in order to prevent annoyance to parishioners. The whole
question is a wider one than appears at first sight, for "regulations"
might possibly be made to apply to the conveyance of "offensive
matter" of many descriptions, e.g., the refuse from slaughter-houses,
fishmongers', poulterers', and greengrocers' premises, marine stores, &c.
NECESSARY ACCOMMODATION.
No progress has been made during the year in this matter; not one
additional urinal having been provided to supplement the very insignificant
number already in existence. All admit the necessity of
public accomodation for both sexes; but the difficulty has been to
provide sites free from personal objection. Thanks to the public spirit
of one ratepayer, and subject to an arrangement with the governmental
authorities, ail urinal will shortly be erected where it is much needed,
viz., in High Street, Notting Hill, west of Palace Gardens.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
Recourse was had to legal proceedings to enforce the orders of your
Vestry somewhat more frequently than usual during the past year.
If "notices" were rigidly followed up, the necessity of going into