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II
of the year the Council ordered legal proceedings to be taken against the squatters for infringing the Gipsy
bye-laws. The following is a list of forcible removals by the Inspector:—
January 5.—5 vans removed from the Ravenhill Estate.
,, 13.—4 vans removed from land in Beckton Road.
2 vans removed from land in Chargeable Lane.
1 van removed from Ravenhill Estate.
February 13.—1 van and tent removed from land in Tucker Street.
,, 17.—5 vans and 2 tents removed from Ravenhill Estate.
April 20.—3 vans removed from Ravenhill Estate.
7 vans removed from land in Beckton Road.
,, 28.—2 vans removed from Ravenhill Estate.
May 12.—3 vans removed from Ravenhill Estate.
,, 18.—7 vans and 3 tents removed from Ravenhill Estate.
2 vans, 5 carts, and 3 tents removed from land in Beckton Road.
,, 30.—1 van and 3 tents removed from Ravenhill Estate.
1 van removed from land in Beckton Road.
July 14.—2 vans, 3 carts, and 4 tents removed from Ravenhill Estate.
3 vans and 1 tent removed from land in Beckton Road.
September 21.—10 vans, 6 carts, and 4 tents removed from Ravenhill Estate.
1 van and 4 carts from land in Beckton Road.
October 3.—Notices to remove served on 4 gipsies on Ravenhill Estate, and on 6 gipsies on land
in Beckton Road.
November 29.—4 gipsy squatters summoned under bye-laws, and fined 10s., with 7s. costs each.
The disappointing character of this work can be seen by the above list. The squatters perambulate
a few streets, soon returning to the same or a neighbouring spot, when the process of removal, like the
stone of Sisyphus, has to be commenced all over again.
Parliamentary.—One of the most important results of the year's work was the passage through
Parliament of the West Ham Corporation Act, 1893, an Act fraught with great and lasting benefits to
the inhabitants of the Borough in many respects, but mostly, perhaps, from a sanitary point of view.
Undoubtedly, the chief hygicnic. provisions of the Act are the clauses authorising the reception and dealing
with the sewage of the Borough by the London County Council by means of the northern outfall sewer,
which crosses the centre of the Borough. The Act consists of eleven parts, but I need only mention here
Parts VI., VII., VIII., dealing with sanitary matters, infectious diseases, and common lodging-houses,
respectively.
Part VI.—Sanitary. Section 38 extends the definition of nuisances contained in section 91 of the
Public Health Act, 1875, include those articles, places, or things which are dangerous to health, as in the
Public Health (London) Act, 1891.
Section 39 gives additional power to the Corporation in dealing with walls and ceilings which may
be broken or dilapidated.