View report page

95
many as six, when it becomes requisite to take out a summons.
In cases of infectious disease treated at home under circumstances
which seem likely to endanger the spread of disease, through the
omission of proper precautions, numerous visits are usually paid to
the infected house, for which it has not been customary, until lately,
to take credit. The total of "sanitary orders" issued comprises
none of the cases in which work has been done by the owner or
occupier at the request of the Inspector.
During the last three years the abatement of nuisances has been
much accelerated by the plan of serving "preliminary notices" upon
the parties liable, immediately on discovery. These notices appear
to be well nigh as effectual as the more formal notice which, previously,
it had been the rule to serve after the nuisance had been
reported to the Works, Sanitary, and General Purposes Committee,
and your Vestry had confirmed the recommendation of the Committee.
When the notice is not complied with recourse is had to a
summons before a magistrate, a step which when necessary should
always be taken with the least possible delay.
In my last Annual Report I had to observe that " the difficulties
which beset legal proceedings, i.e., at the Police Court, tend to cool
the ardour of Sanitary Inspectors in having recourse to magisterial
aid." I am able to bear witness to a great improvement in this
respect, for acting upon a recommendation I made in 1878, your
Vestry have authorised proceedings before the magistrates sitting at
the Vestry Hall—an arrangement by which much time has been
saved, besides securing in nearly every instance the object in view.
We have cause to be grateful to the magistrates for their willingness
to take our cases, adding considerably as they do to the time devoted
by them to the administration of justice; and for the useful work
they have done by their decisions in helping forward sanitary
improvement.
Daring the year ended March 25th, 1881, summonses were
issued in 74 cases, and "Orders" for giving effect to your Vestry's
requirements were made by the Justices in nearly every instance.
Frequently one summons covered several requirements, as might
be inferred from the amount of work carried out under the "orders'.
In connection with water supply, orders for providing it were
made in five cases; and for repairs to cisterns, &c. in 11 cases.
In 21 cases orders were made to provide or connect the water