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a butt, and for all these cisterns were substituted. It was also
found that the water.supply apparatus to the closets was
defective in 131 houses; a comparatively small number, considering
that above 7,000 houses were inspected. In addition,
314 screw.down taps, with a length of leaden pipe, were provided
by the owners of houses where there was a constant supply, to
enable their tenants to procure water direct from the chief
supply.pipe of the house. This is a great advantage, as
uncontaminated water can, in this way, always be obtained.
I may say that I adopted this plan in my house many years
ago, and have a draw.tap on each floor, which is a very great
convenience. The total number of houses for which an improved
supply of water was given and the apparatus repaired was no less
than 2,182. There are of course some disadvantages of having
the water laid on to water.closets in the houses of the poor, as
compared with the old plan of flushing by means of a pailful
of water, in consequence of the insufficient flush often given,
especially by children ; also from the wires and other parts of
flushing.boxes getting broken or out of order. For instance, in
several cases, as the occupiers were ignorant of the means of
adjusting the ball.cock so as to prevent the water from flowing
over continually, they knocked the pipe together or managed
to fix the ball so as to stop the supply altogether. On the
other hand, pail.flushing is often omitted, and is always more
or less intermittent, especially where there are two or more
families in a house, so that on the whole it is far better
for the water to be laid on the closets even in the dwellings
of the poor.
As before mentioned, attention has been given for some
time past to the removal of the insufficient and dangerous bell.
traps ; the cutting off of sink.wastes, and of rain.water pipes
from the house.drains where they were placed near to windows.
During the year as many as 2,648 premises were provided with
yard gully.traps, and as sometimes two, three or more bell.traps
were removed in one house, there must have been more than