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That, again, other of such drains hare been formed be surreptitious connection, either
without the knowledge of, or directly contrary to plans submitted to and approved by, year
Petioners.
That there can be no doubt thet all such drains were, at the tims they were constructed,
considered, both by year Petitioners and the owners, to be private drains, for the maintenance
manner in which such provisions have been interpreted by the Courts of Law, such drains are
now held to be public sewers repairable by your Petitioners as the Sewer Authority, at the
expense of the ratepayers.
That your Petitioners, as the Sanitary Authority of the Parish, ore constantly met, when
requiring owners to abate nuiasnces resulting from unsound drains, by the objection thet the
drains in question on combined drains, and conseqnently, unless they can be proved to have
been constructed by the formal order of your Petitioners or their Predecessors, sewers repairable
That as the result a heavy annual charge is cast upon the ratepayers of the Parish, which
is equity should be borne by the owners of the property affected, as was no doubt originally
contamplated.
That a Bill has been introduced into your Honourable House, intituled "A Bill to
amend the Metropolis Management Acts, with respect to Sewers and Drains," which has for its
object the amendment of the present defective legislation.
That as regards the retrospective effect of this Bill, it is, in your Petitioners' opinion,
absolutely necessary to correct a defect in the existing Law, and your Petitioners would venture
to point out thet your Honourable Honor found it neccessary to correct a similar defect is the
interpretation of the word "draia" is the Metropolis Management Art of 1855, by similar
retrospective legilation in the Metropolis Management Amendment Act, 1862.
Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray thet your Honourable House will see fit,
And your Petitioners will ever pray, etc.
The Seal of the Vestry of the Parish of
Rotherhithe, attached by Order, this
7th day of April, 1896.
(Signed) JAMES J. STOKES,
Vestry Clerk.
The Bill was withdrawn on July 20th. 1896.