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which has been done in a very large number of instances, as 755
flushing boxes (water waste preventers) were fixed in the closets,
and as regards 1,035 other closets, either a new water-supply
apparatus was provided, or repairs of the old carried out so as
to make them efficient. In addition to these 1,790 improvements
in the apparatus for the supply of water closets, as
many as 591 lengths of pipe with screw-down taps were
supplied by owners to enable the occupiers to obtain their
water supply direct from the service pipe, instead of from the
cistern. I attach much importance to this arrangement, as it
enables the occupants of houses to obtain water uncontaminated
by deposits in the cisterns, or from cisterns which are in
connection with water closets. The total number of houses in
which improvements as regards water supply or the means of
flushing closets have been effected is, therefore, as many as
2,381, which I consider to be satisfactory. There is still a
number of houses in which means of drainage and the watersupply
arrangements are not so good as they should be ; but as
all newly-built houses are inspected, under the Surveyor's
directions, by some of his staff, both as regards means of
drainage and water supply, I trust, before long, all nuisances of
this kind will be removed, although those arising from bad use
and ordinary wear and tear of the fittings, traps, &c., will always
give a considerable amount of work to this department.
An inspection was made of 24 public schools, partly those
of the London School Board, and in most of these the drainage
arrangements were defective, although in the lately-built schools
the provision of flushing tanks, improved traps, and better
means of ventilating the drains have rendered them much more
healthy than the old schools. The number of notices served for
the removal of nuisances was very large, viz., 9,325, but the
number of persons summoned was smaller than usual, for
including tho persons who had to appear before a magistrate for
selling adulterated articles, the total was only 44. The number
of houses inspected under the Sanitary Act, 1860, was 4,227,
and of premises inspected in consequence of complaints, 812, or