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say that such clauses are so very defective, that if the Bill should unfortunately
pass into an Act, nearly all the evils which now beset the
dwellings of the poor, will be perpetuated for an indefinite time. Under
the provisions of this Bill, houses, similar to those mentioned in Wood's
Court can be built, and rows of houses, occupying entire streets, may be
built back to back, whereby a free and necessary circulation of air cannot
be obtained. As I have so frequently in my quarterly reports strongly
insisted on the absolute necessity for passing such a Building Act, as will
prevent the further extension of unhealthy houses, I have not deemed it
expedient to enlarge upon the subject at the present moment ; but I would
respectfully urge the Board to examine the sanitary and other provisions
of the Building Bill, and take such steps thereon as they may deem expedient
to prevent it from becoming an Act.
Slaughter-Houses.
The question of continuing the use of private slaughter-houses in the
metropolis, has been so fully discussed by the Butchers, Local Boards,
Medical Officers of Health, and the Metropolitan Board of Works, as to
render it unnecessary for me again to discuss it. The whole subject is now
thoroughly understood, and it only remains for the legislature to determine
what shall bo done in order to prevent that inconvenience to the public
which will of course take place, if the private slaughter-houses are
abolished, before adequate provision is made for the slaughtering of cattle
in public abattoirs. The butchers will certainly have no reason to complain,
if the Act, now in force, relating to private slaughter-houses, should expire;
for they have had thirty years' notice that, after August, 1874, it shall not
be lawful to continue the use of private slaughter-houses, except under
such restictions as will virtually prohibit their use in the metropolis.
Unfortunately, however, it happens that no provision is at present made for
the erection of public slaughter-houses or abattoirs, so that until a sufficient
number of public slaughter-houses are provided, the butchers must, of
necessity, be allowed to continue for a time the use of those slaughterhouses
which are in existence.
This is an evil which has been foreseen by the Association of the
Medical Officers of Health, who have on several occasions discussed the
subject of private slaughter-houses, and upon the last occasion, at a
meeting of the Association, of which due notice was given to all the
Members, it was resolved, with only two dissentients, that in the opinion of
the Medical Officers of Health, the existence of private slaughter-houses
in the metropolis was a nuisance, and that it was desirable that either the
Metropolitan Board of Works, or the Corporation of the City of London,
should undertake the erection and superintendence of public slaughterhouses
in sufficient numbers to meet the requirements of the public. A
copy of the resolution was sent to the Secretary of State, the Corporation
of the City of London, and the Metropolitan Board of Works. In a long
report, passed by the Works aud General Purposes Committee of the
Metropolitan Board of Works, on the question of slaughter houses, &c.;