View report page

19
convenient here to enumerate the more important functions
of that body, viz.:—
(1) Paving, cleansing, watering, and lighting the
public streets.
(2) Constructing, maintaining, and cleansing local
sewers, public conveniences, etc.
(3) Supervising the construction, alteration, and
amendment of the drains and sanitary arrangements
of dwelling-houses and other buildings.
(4) Preventing, removing, and abating nuisances
injurious to health, disinfecting after sickness
&c.
(5) Regulating projections into the public streets, and
annoyances of various kinds.
(6) Preserving, as far as possible, freedom from adulteration
in articles of food and medicine.
(7) Levying and collecting the rates, from which
large and, unfortunately rapidly increasing,
sums are paid annually to authorities entirely
independent of local control.
Upon the last-mentioned point it may be here observed
that there has been a growing tendency for some years to
include in the local rates various sums for Metropolitan
purposes. Thus since the year 1855 the Vestry have at
different times been required by Parliament to provide
funds for—(a) Main Drainage; (b) Fire Brigade; (c)
Elementary Education; (d) Thames Bridges—purchase
maintenance, and re-building: (e) Artizans' Dwellings, and
other purposes, The extent to which this operates upon
b 2