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I 10
the register of samples taken under the Food and Drugs Act, and the
mortuary and correspondence registers. He also makes out the
statutory notices, and notices which are sent to the School Board, the
Public Library, and the master of the house, in connection with the
occurrence of infectious disease. Me also keeps a record of the
returns forwarded by the Metropolitan Asylums Board, of the fees
paid to medical practitioners for notification returns of houses certified
by the sanitary authority as being provided with a proper and sufficient
supply of water, and of certificates granted under the Customs and
Inland Revenue Acts. Another register has recently been commenced
of all the houses in the district, with a view to a record being kept of all
cases of infectious disease, and of deaths from other diseases, which
occur in each house in the district.
The sanitary authority for the district is the Vestry of the Parish of
Fulham. There is a Sanitary Committee for the special consideration
of matters arising in connection with the work of the Public Health
Department, consisting of all the members of the Vestry, but no powers
under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, are delegated to this
committee by the Vestry.
Under the Public Health (London) Act, 1831, the sanitary authorities
in the Metropolis must make and enforce by-laws in respect to the
following matters:—
(1) The prevention of particular nuisances.
(2) The keeping of water-closets supplied with sufficient water
for their effective action.
(3) The cleansing of receptacles used for storing water likely
to be used for drinking purposes.
(4) Houses let in lodgings or occupied by members of more
than one family.
The Vestry of Fulham have made by-laws on these subjects, which
have been confirmed by the Local Government Board. The by-laws are
based on the model by-laws, and are similar to those which have been
made and are now in force in most districts in the metropolis. As regards
the amount of rental which is considered sufficient to exempt houses from
the operation of by-laws which relate to houses let in lodgings, this is
not the same in all parts of London. In the case of Fulham, by-laws
have recently been confirmed by the Local Government Board giving
the sanitary authority power to register all unfurnished lodgings of no
greater rental than 6s. a week, and all furnished lodgings which do not
exceed a rental of 7s. 6d. a week.
These by-laws require the same amount of cubic space as the model
by-laws of the Local Government Board already referred to, namely,
400 cubic feet for each person in rooms used both for living and sleeping
purposes, and 300 cubic feet in those used for sleeping only, two children
under ten years being regarded as equivalent to one adult. No houses
had been registered at the time of my inspection.