London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
St James's 1882
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St James's, Westminster]
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56
SCAVENGERING, DUST REMOVAL, &c.
A staff of road sweepers, averaging about 24 in number, has
been regularly employed by the Vestry, at a total cost for the year
of £1,324 2s. 8d. The refuse collected by the sweepers is removed
under contract, at a fixed sum, the contractor providing his own
horses, carts, shoot, &c. House dust and refuse is also removed
and the carriageways watered under the contract system. The
The following statement illustrates the enormous increase in the demands of the Metropolitan Board of Works and the School Board for London during the last ten years:—
| 1873-4 | 1874-5 | 1875-6 | 1 870-7 | 1877-8 | 1878-9 | 1879-80 | 1880-1 | 1881-2 | 1882-3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Hoard of Works | £5,852 | 9,577 | 11,681 | 10,056 | 11,142 | 11,594 | 14,008 | 15,357 | 10,516 | 17,614 |
| School Board fur London | 1,046 | 5,153 | 6,705 | 9,974 | 12,364 | 12,195 | 13,115 | 15,004 | 15,941 | 16,166 |
| Total | £7,798 | 14,730 | 18,386 | 20,930 | 23,806 | 23,789 | 27,123 | 30,471 | 31.487 | 34,080 |
The total number of loads of street refuse removed during the
year was 8,697.
STREET LIGHTING.
On the 25th March, 1882, there were 757 public lamps in the
various thoroughfares of the Parish, 741 of which were ordinary
street lamps, (696 burning cannel gas, and 45 burning common gas),
4 were urinal lamps, and 12 were larger lamps attached to refuges.
On the 25th March, 1883, the number of lamps was 753, showing
a decrease of 4 in the twelve months; the proportion of different
lamps now being 585 cannel gas street lamps, 149 common gas
street lamps, 4 urinal lamps, and 15 refuge lamps. The whole of
these lamps are lighted, extinguished, cleansed, and maintained by
the Gas Company under an arrangement with the Vestry ; the
agreed sum being £3 0s. 1d. per annum for each ordinary street lamp,
whether burning cannel or common gas, 2½ ft. of cannel gas being
supplied per lamp per hour, and 3 ft. of common gas. As
regards the other lamps, payment is made according to the consumption
of gas as registered by meter. The total cost of street
lighting for the past year amounted to £2,576 1s. 11d., exclusive of
was erected by Messrs. Mansfield and Son from the designs and under the superintendence of Mr. A. P. Howell, the Vestry's Surveyor, at a total cost, including furniture and fittings, of about £8,(MX), the principal items being as follows:—
| £ | s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payments to Builders | 6,360 | 18 | 3 |
| Furniture and Fittings | 736 | 8 | 2 |
| Architect and Surveyor | 142 | 7 | 0 |
| Clerk of Works | 213 | 0 | 0 |
| Coet of obtaining Faculty | 40 | 6 | 0 |
| Paid to Churchwardens for reinstating, &c. Churchyard | 500 | 0 | 0 |
| Incidental Expenses | 99 | 9 | 4 |
| £8,092 | 8 | 9 |