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16
the best way to meet it and ensure safety without
hindrance, is becoming a very serious question
indeed; that it will become more serious is apparent
to all who are bound to deal with so important a
subject. The Central Parishes or Districts such
as St. James's have this fact forced upon them
more prominently than the Suburban Districts,
which are exempt from many of the difficulties
where the roads are wider and the traffic less,
and have been laid out to meet modern requirements
never contemplated by the inhabitants of London
one hundred years since, or at a considerably more
limited period. It would be repetition to remind the
Vestry that in a locality like St. James's, new
neighbourhoods in the real sense of the word
are impossible, although alterations might occur
so that there are not any actually new sewers to
record as having been built. If there were it
would be much less trouble than it is now in
dealing with the old, many of which were
never intended for the use required by modern
advances. This adaptation to modern requirements
consequent upon the disuse of the cesspool
principle, is constantly bringing to light the
inadequacy of the old sewers for the purpose to
which they are now put. The same remarks will
apply to many house drains, which were not
originally intended for much more than the
conveyance of rain, or other surplus water from
the premises into sewers, also meant for surface