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31
SANITARY PROCEEDINGS.
Table VI. is the report of the Sanitary Inspectors, and gives details
of the work performed during the year. It will not be out of plaoe
if I here state shortly the method of procedure in nuisance cases.
The Inspector having received intimation that a nuisance exists,
visits the premises complained of, and if he finds anything wrong,
he sends by post a preliminary notice to the landlord, drawing his
attention to the condition of the premises, and requesting him to
do whatever may be necessary to abate the nuisance. At the next
ensuing meeting of the Sanitary Committee, the Inspector reports
his proceedings and obtains authority to issue statutory notices in
all cases where the preliminary notice has not been attended to.
The statutory notice is required by Act of Parliament to be served
personally by the Inspector upon the premises in default. Should
the Inspector find that the work has not been completed before the
expiration of the period allowed by the statutory notice, he sends a
final notification to the owner that legal proceedings will be taken
against him, again reports the case to the Sanitary Committee, and
asks for authority to issue a summons. This is usually granted;
and the summons is taken out returnable perhaps in a fortnight or
so, according to the amount of the business in the hands of the police
court officials. In many instances the owner now begins to
bestir himself and gets the work well in hand before the hearing of
the summons. Such being the case, the Inspector withdraws the
summons upon payment of costs. All this entails considerable
delay ; and if the owner is obstructive, many weeks may elapse
after the first notice before the nuisance is abated. No time is lost
by our officers, for the preliminary notice is sent, at the latest, the
day after the inspection, and is addressed to the residence of the
landlord (if this can be ascertained), while the statutory notice, if
required, is left by the Inspector upon the premises as soon after
the meeting of the Sanitary Committee as is possible. In urgent
cases the Chairman has power to give the necessary authority.
In some instances, however, the statutory notice does not find its
way to the landlord at all, as the tenant perhaps mislays it or