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The question as to who is liable for the relaying of
combined drains is a very vexed one, and the cause of much
contention on the part of property owners and agents,
owing to the unsatisfactory and conflicting state of the
law on the subject. It has been necessary only in the
case of nine houses for the Local Authority to execute the
work in default of the owners.
In several instances the owners have willingly reconstructed
combined drains at their own expense rather than
contest the legal points at issue.
Frequent visits of inspection during the progress of work
are necessary to ensure that the reconstruction of defective
house drainage is efficiently carried out. On these occasions,
owing chiefly to the employment of unskilled workmen, it is
frequently found that sanitary fittings and traps of obsolete
and objectionable patterns are being fixed; intercepting
traps are fixed carelessly, thereby destroying the seal provided
for cutting off aerial communication with the sewer;
or that the drains are laid with insufficient fall, etc., etc.
By making these visits at short intervals the faults are
discovered before the work is far advanced, and can therefore
be remedied at a minimum of trouble and expense.
The smoke and water tests were applied to drains and
sanitary fittings on six hundred and seventy-two occasions.
All new drains had the water test applied before
concreting in and again after the ground was filled in.
Opening up of Drains for Examination under See. 41.—
As the result of either smoke or chemical tests, applications
were made to the Sanitary Committee for authority to enter
the premises, open the ground and examine the drains under
the provisions of Section 41, of the Public Health Act, 1875,
at eighty-one houses. After examination the ground was
made good, and the conditions found reported to the
Sanitary Committee, who authorised the serving of notices
requiring the reconstruction of the drains, water-closets, etc.
Intercepting Traps.—During the month of March the
Sanitary Committee had under consideration a letter from
the Architect to the Local Government Board, requesting
the Council to allow their officers to assist in the investigations
then being made by the Board into the use of modern
intercepting traps, whether in combination or not with
inspection chambers, and considering the importance of the
subject to the Borough, it was decided to direct the officials
of the Sanitary Department to assist the Local Government
Board in the proposed investigations.
Examination was made of the manholes and intercepting
traps at 412 premises, and a report giving the details
and information asked for was sent to the Local Government
Board.
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