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91
by able bodied industrial inhabitants, who require to be near to
their work ; if instead of these badly constructed and dilap1dated
places, there were suitable houses for their accommodation.
THE "EAST LONDON WATER COMPANY."
The " East London Water Company " still continues to insist upon
cisterns being retained in dwellings and workshops. They do this
the Company sets forth, by right of the original powers conferred
upon them by Parliament and those powers they are ev1dently disposed
to strain to the utmost in their own immediate interest
The inhabitants of the dwellings and workshops, therefore have to
drink water polluted by unclean cisterns, and cisterns moreover that
cannot be kept clean, in an atmosphere like that of London, yet the
Sanitary Authority, has so far, appealed to the East London Water
Company without inducing them to concede to the public, the right
of drawing water direct from the main, without the intervention of
cisterns.
A somewhat similar difficulty was experienced with the New
River Company, but with this difference that, that Water Company
only required cisterns to be retained on the premises of moderately
large sized houses not on the premises of small dwellings, whereas
the East London Company make not even that exception ; and after
a while the New River Company less and less insisted on the
cisterns being retained.
It is difficult to understand how it can be to the lasting interest
of the East London Water Company to oppose this public want
for whilst the Sanitary Authority has not hitherto been inclined to
force this question on public attention it seems to your Medical
Officer of Health that it cannot be allowed to continue long as it is,
without appeal to the Authority which originally conferred on the
Company the power they possess, but which they seem disinclined
to exercise generously in the public interest.
I have the honour to be, Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
H. G. SUTTON,
Medical Officer of Health.