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28
The figures just quoted shew that 44 per cent, of the houses
inspected were in some way or other defective, although every
house had been carefully examined the year before. The defects
consisted in the want of whitewashing, cleansing, and repairing;
of proper paving or drainage in the yards; of choked or badly
constructed water-closets; of want of proper and sufficient water
supply or apparatus; or of choked or badly made house-drains.
In many houses an aggregation of these nuisances, with the bad
construction of the houses themselves, rendered them uninhabitable.
Amongst these may be specially mentioned houses in
Homerton and Hackney Wick; but I am glad to say that by
exerting continuous pressure on the owners, and summoning the
most refractory, the whole of the works necessary to prevent the
houses from being injurious to health have been done. They
certainly were not all completed until February of the present
year, but the repairs have been unusually well carried out.
In addition to the 6,301 houses inspected under the provisions
of the Sanitary Act, there were 374 premises examined on
complaints received at the office, and 70 in which epidemic
disease had broken out, so as to render disinfection necessary.
There were 89 cowsheds, 82 slaughterhouses, 148 greengrocers'
yards, 61 poulterers' and fishmongers' yards examined, and all
nuisances found thereon were removed. Also, as before
mentioned, 125 bakehouses, and S3 urinals were examined more
than once. These, with 20 houses in which the rooms were
measured, make up a total of 7,353 separate premises inspected,
which is above the average number. The number of nuisances
on these premises was as follows: 1,325 from defective drainage;
3,326 from defects in the interior of the houses; 343 from want
of proper paving; and 412 from other causes. The nuisances
from defective drainage were, 292 from choked or broken drains;
679 from want of proper traps; 95 from choked water-closet
pans; 15 from cesspools; and 244 from want of proper surface
drainage; and 343 of proper paving in the yard. There were no