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laid in concrete, yet the rarity with which single drains when
properly made and laid get choked, and the ease and speed with
which the Sanitary Officers can deal with them when choked or
defective, render in my opinion separate drainage of houses
preferable to block drainage, at any rate in more than pairs of
houses. The use of improved traps in the yards, and the
disconnection of the sink and bath wastes from the drains, and,
when this cannot be done, the introduction of traps between
the baths or sink.wastes and the drains, which has been of
late years so extensively carried out by the Sanitary Staff,
will however, undoubtedly tend to prevent the ingress of
materials likely to choke the drains. As however the chief
inlet for cloths, dusters, scrubbing brushes and like things is the
water.closet, these causes of choked drains will be kept out only
to a comparatively small extent.
A circular letter having been received from the Local
Government Board, requesting information as to the extent to
which the Regulations made for this District, under the 35th
section of the Sanitary Act, had been carried out. I was
requested by the Sanitary Committee, to whom the matter was
referred by the Board, to draw up a report on the subject. In
accordance with this resolution I presented the following report
to them, which was laid before the Board, and a copy sent to
the President of the Local Government Board:—
" Soon after the Sanitary Act was passed application was
made by the Sanitary Committee of this Board requesting
that power should be given to them to frame draft Regulations
under the Act. On the 15th September, 1866, a copy of these
Regulations was forwarded to the Secretary of State, the
Right Honorable J. H. Walpole, and confirmed by him, and as
soon as possible put into action. As a first step towards this,
two Sub.Inspectors were appointed to measure the dwelling.
rooms in all the houses occupied by the poorer classes, and to
enter the measurements in books kept at the Town Hall for
that purpose. The rooms in 4,600 houses were measured before