View report page

31
I also desire to say that resolution 2 is framed somewhat in
accordance with the "regulations relating to house drains,"
which have been m force in this district at any rate since 1870,
one of which is as follows:—
Every drain carried under a house or building, not having
3 feet of ground from the top thereof to the general
level of the ground under the floor, and every drain
carried at the back or side of a house or other
building, if it be within 5 feet of the wall, and above
the foundation thereof, must be bedded in and
covered over with 6 inches of concrete.
Resolution No. 2 was not proposed as being necessary for
this district, but because it was thought that uniform legislation
should be introduced for the whole metropolis.
This report was referred to the Sanitary Committee who
reported that it was not necessary to have proposal No. 2 carried
out, as the Metropolitan Board had just then instructed their
Surveyors to prevent the use of improper materials in the making
of mortar and plaster. That as regards the other proposals, they
advised the Board to agree with them, and forward a copy to
the Metropolitan Board of Works. They advised slight
alterations, so as to make the proposals more definite, and that
there should be 10 feet instead of S in the rear of newly-built
houses, and that no erection should hereafter be made on the
open space of either new or old houses, if they reduced the space
below 10 feet. A copy of this report was forwarded to the
Metropolitan Board of Works. In connection with this subject
I may mention that several fatal cases of diphtheria have
occurred in houses where the rain-water pipes were connected,
with the drains without being trapped, and when the persons
attacked slept in rooms close to open joints of the pipes, so that
they were exposed to sewer emanations, which escaped into their
bedrooms.
In the early part of the year I was directed to make certain