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the cellars and how used. On visiting the houses in low neighbourhoods, it is by
no means of unfrequent occurrence to find an adult brother and sister, a father and
an adult daughter, a mother and an adult son, occupying the same bed What
good citizenship can be expected to be manifested by a class in whom the moral
feeling is so low ?
The total number of cesspools destroyed since the formation of the Board is
3468. I have no doubt that this removal of filth from the immediate locality has
been attended with great benefit to the public health; for, although epidemic
diseases have been of late very numerous, yet, it is highly probable that the
mortality from these diseases would have been increased had not this essentially
necessary sanitary work been accomplished. A larger amount of similar work is
still required to be done, before the public can be relieved from the injurious effects
of the exhalations from decomposing animal and vegetable matter, which is allowed
to remain in the form of lay-stalls and dung heaps, within a short distance of
inhabited rooms in confined localities. The provisions of the Nuisance Removal Act
must be more rigidly enforced to prevent these health destroying agencies; and on
no pretext should dung of any kind be allowed to remain near a dwelling house for
a longer period than two or three days. Similar gases are given off from these laystalls
to those which are exhaled from cesspools, and they are attended with the
like evil results to the public health. On passing by one of these abominable
accumulations of filth, the other day, I learnt, that it had been allowed to remain
without being disturbed for a fortnight; and I observed the steam arising from the
stirring up of this heap, which was being removed, making its way into the neighbouring
houses.
The system of house-to-house visitation which is still being carried out
in this district is attended with very beneficial results in preventing to some
extent overcrowding, and in directing the attention of the police to those rooms in
which the Inspectors have discovered that more than one family resides; so that the
houses so occupied may be brought under the operation of the Common Lodging
House Act.
In alluding to the work done by the Sanitary Inspectors I may mention, that
Mr. Coward made on one occasion a night visit to Tewksbury Buildings, a place
chiefly occupied by foreign Jews. It was found that all the basements or underground
kitchens were used as dwelling and sleeping apartments—as many as four beds
being in one room. The water closets which are in the areas and close to the doors
of these rooms were in a filthy condition, and the smell from them pervaded the
whole house. In one of these rooms there was discovered a female lunatic. She
had neither bed nor bedding, her only covering was filthy rags. The Inspector says
that the evils discovered in this place could not have been ascertained by a visit in the
day time.
Numerous cases of keeping swine have come under the notice of the
Inspectors. The swine in every instance have been removed without the necessity
of taking out a summons.
Queen Ann Street and John Street have been paved, Minke's Court, Rosemary
Lane has been closed by an order from the Magistrate in consequence of its
being unfit for human habitation owing to its dirty and dilapidated condition.