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in the two western districts, and shares the work of enquiry into daily
complaints.
"Besides, all have books to keep in the office, forms to fill up, and
notices to send out.
"In addition, there is a clerk (Mr. Barr) who remains in the Sanitary
office, receives complaints, enters the certificates of infectious diseases, the
returns of the registrars, keeps the books of the department, and assists the
inspectors in filling up notices, etc., and in office work generally.
"There is also a disiufector, upon whose work I have already reported
in connection with the question of disinfection.
"The time of all these officials is most fully occupied, and it is of
frequent occurrence that they are to be found in the office at work after the
Town Hall has been closed for the day.
"The department will shortly be relieved of the work of dusting and
scavenging, and this will enable Mr. Stiles to devote himself more to other
work, and it might have been possible, with some rearrangement of duties, to
have grappled more completely with the sanitary requirements of the district
with the present staff were it not that numerous fresh duties, previously
performed by factory inspectors, district surveyors and police constables, will
be imposed upon this department by the Public Health (London) Act, when
it comes into operation on the 1st January, 1892; while the scope of other
duties already carried out will be much enlarged by the creation of special
bye-laws which must be made (1) by the London County Council for matters
extending to the whole Metropolis, but which are to be enforced by the local
authorities, as those in respect to slaughter-houses, cowhouses, bakehouses, the
cleansing of workshops, water-closets, dust bins, and receptacles for dung and
the proper accessories in connection with buildings, whether constructed
before or after the passing of the Act. (2) It will be the duty of the
Vestry to make bye-laws for keeping w.c.'s supplied with sufficient water, and
to see that all w.c.'s, and all the apparatus, traps, syphons, drains, etc., connected
therewith, are properly constructed or repaired, and to undertake prosecutions
against persons improperly constructing such, and against persons not properly
cleansing w.c.'s when such are used in common by occupiers of separate
dwelling houses; to make bye-laws for the prevention of nuisances arising from
matters of all kinds in streets, from offensive matters coming from factories,
shops, dunghills, etc., for the prevention of keeping animals on any premises so
as to be a nuisance; and as to paving yards and open spaces in connection with
dwelling houses; for the regulation of houses let in tenements or lodgings, a
subject which is of the utmost importance to the public health, and which will
give the Vestry increased power over persons who let houses in this manner,
but which will entail constant supervision by the inspectors to ensure the
proper performance of the requirements of the bye-laws. Any article