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224
supply, whereby distress is caused to the tenants of the
house, although the defect arises from no fault on their part.
The Water Company having refused to refrain from cuttingoff
the supply by reason of defective fittings, in that district,
on the ground that such a course is absolutely necessary,
owing to great waste of water, the Poplar Board requested
the Local Government Board to introduce a Bill to extend
the powers of the Act 50 and 51 Vic., cap. 21 (Forrest Fulton's
Act, before referred to), so as to make it illegal for a Water
Company to cut-off water for any reason whatever. But
nothing came of the action taken by the Sanitary Authority
on the occasion.
Notice of Cutting-off.—In 1882 your Vestry adopted
a resolution to the effect—
"That the Water Companies should be requested, if they are not by law
required, to give the Vestry notice in every case when they have cut
off the supply of water from inhabited premises, from whatever cause."
and it was directed that this and other resolutions on the
subject of water supply (including the one already cited at
page 222) should be communicated co the several Vestries
and District Boards, the intention being to hold a Conference
to consider the entire subject of Water Supply. But the
proposed Conference was not held, and the matter remained
in abeyance for some years, although I took frequent occasion
to direct attention to it in my Annual Reports. Section 49
of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, however, has
settled the question, the 48th section enacting that:—
"When a Water Company may lawfully cut off the water supply to any
inhabited dwelling house, and cease to supply such dwelling-house
with water for non-payment of Water-rate or other cause, the Company
shall in every case, within twenty-four hours after exercising the said
right, give notice thereof in writing to the Sanitary Authority of the
district in which the house is situated."
The penalty for default is a fine not exceeding ten pounds.
As already stated the Companies have been debarred,
since 1887, from cutting-off the supply when the rate is