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agree, and taking our district as a whole, quite two thirds come
under the description, but at the same time we have but a comparative
few that in my opinion require to be dealt with in this
manner. In practice we find the Public Health Act so much
simpler to deal with any insanitary conditions than these regulations,
although under the latter it is contended that when once
a house is placed under these Bye-laws and the necessary notices
have been served on the owner and tenants, it is not necessary
to repeat them, but to take summary action. We find that
this class of tenant is constantly a moving one, and the property
frequently changes ownership, we then have to serve fresh
notices which makes the proceedings more delayed than by
instituting action under the Public Health Act. At the present
time I do not see any necessity for further extending the
operation of these regulations.
Water Famine.
The question of a constant water supply was again brought
home to us in the East End in almost as serious a manner as
that in the summer of 1895; when the Local Government
enquiry was held in 1895 to ascertain the cause of the failure,
we were informed by the East London Water Company that
such provision had now been made by enlargement, and new
reservoirs, that the intermittent supply would be unnecessary
in the future ; but here are the facts that in less than twelve
months we were again face to face with the same difficulty. In
July the water was cut off for many hours in the day, and had it
not been for standpipes being fixed in the streets, the inconvenience
would have been more serious; as it was for several weeks
during very hot weather the drains were imperfectly flushed and
in consequence the effluvia from sewer openings was very
offensive.
A Committee of influential men, Members of Parliament,
County Councillors, and medical men was formed, and a
deputation waited on the President of the Local Government
Board in order to bring pressure to bear on the Water Company.