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ill-health shows the importance of inculcating upon the public generally, and
of the poor in particular, the benefits as regards health which arise from personal
and household cleanliness, ventilation, &c. Much might be done in
spreading information, if the educated class would have more frequent intercourse
among the poor, and impress upon their minds the importance of
practising the laws of health, and of observing a proper sense of decency and
self-respect. District visitors might do a great deal to improve the social
condition of the people; and landlords, when they collect their rents, should
inspect each room, examine the water-closets, and the water supply, and give
such instructions to their tenants as shall compel them upon pain of removal
to observe cleanliness, and avoid the wilful destruction of property—now so
much complained of by the owners and agents of small tenements. Poor people
cannot now as formerly leave their habitations, however bad such habitations
may be, and readily obtain others; for such is the demand for rooms that rents
are rising in all poor localities. The same houses of two rooms each which
two years ago were let at 3s. per week now fetch 4s. 6d. per week. If it were
not for the vigilance of the Inspectors in visiting the houses of the poor, nuisances
would remain altogether unattended to; for very few of the poor dare to make
a complaint, from fear of being compelled to quit their tenements.
The proper cleansing of the streets is a matter of the greatest importance
in relation to the public health. It is obvious that the greater is the traffic
in a street the more frequently such street requires cleansing. The great
thoroughfares should therefore be cleansed daily. But it is equally, or perhaps
even more important for the public health, that the poorer localities,
where nuisances are daily recurring, should also be daily cleansed. Owing to
the want of proper receptacles for house refuse among the poor, they are in the
habit of throwing it into the public thoroughfares, where it is allowed to
remain until the scavengers remove it. In order to put a stop to this practice,
the Board issued printed notices cautioning the inhabitants against the practice
of placing filth and rubbish upon the carriageway or footway of any street
or other public place, and offering a reward of 5s. for such information as
should lead to the conviction of any person so offending. Convictions have
been obtained and fines inflicted. Now, some excuse may be found for the
poor transgressing the law in this particular; but what can be said in extenuation
of those tradesmen living in the principal thoroughfares, who, shortly
after the streets have been cleansed, sweep the refuse of their shops upon the
public ways, thus giving the street the appearance of not having been cleansed?
The great thoroughfares must be cleansed early in the morning, before the
traffic of the day commences; for at midday, when the traffic is great, it is next
to impossible to thoroughly cleanse the streets, and it is dangerous for the men
employed to attempt it. In contracting with the scavengers, it would be
desirable to have all the main thoroughfares cleansed by ten o'clock in the
morning; and if the cleansing of the principal streets be not completed by a
given time, a fine should be inflicted. By adopting this plan, not only would