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The decisions in these two cases are satisfactory so far as
they go, but although they hold out hope of success in any
similar cases, few are the persons rich enough, as in the
Streatham case, or the local authorities spirited enough, to
ncur the expense and the worry of litigation. The nuisance,
however, being unquestionable, and such as may be prevented
by the adoption of a particular method of burning bricks, the
subject would seem to be a proper one to be dealt with by
legislation. The business of a brick maker is an "offensive''
one, in very truth, but it cannot be brought within the provisions
of the Slaughter Houses (Metropolis) Act, 1874. A
fresh Act, therefore, is necessary. The Metropolitan Board of
Works would be the proper authority for introducing such a
measure, and I have little doubt but that the Board would take
up the question were it encouraged to do so by the several
Vestries and District Boards. But it is somewhat difficult to
obtain united action by so many different bodies, and it being
nobody's business in particular to initiate proceedings which
would involve a good deal of trouble, year after year passes by
and nothing is done. The Society of Medical Officers of
Health did what it could after the trial of the above-mentioned
actions by drawing the attention of the Metropolitan Board to
the subject in a communication to the effect (1) that there are
sufficient reasons for. regulating the trade of brick-making by
bye-laws, as other offensive trades have been, with such manifest
advantage to the public; and (2) that owing to the
considerable distance lo which the effluvia of brick-burning travel,
and to the fact that many of the brickfields contributing to the
nuisance are outside the Metropolitan area, legislation should
be general, and apply to areas within a specified distance of
centres of population. Nearly three years have since elapsed,
and nothing has been done.
FOOD ADULTERATION.
A question has arisen whether the addition of foreign
substances to food for the purpose of preventing or retarding