View report page

200
Most of the conditions imposed had reference chiefly to want of ventilation,
defective paving, and improper water supply, but in the cases of the two cowhouses
in which the license was held over, works of a more serious nature had to
be carried out. In one, the house used in part for the sale of milk, required
cleansing and repairing, while the drainage of the cow-house, yards, &c., was very
defective. The arrangements for the drainage of the cow-house appeared to be
satisfactory, but on exposing the drain, it was found a few feet from the gulley to
be rising instead of falling towards the sewer, this, coupled with leaky joints,
permitted the whole of the drainage from the cow-house to soak into the ground
beneath, and the rest of the drain to its junction with the yard drain was quite
dry, and apparently had never been used. These conditions have now been
re-arranged satisfactorily.
In the other case, the necessary works have progressed somewhat slowly, and
are not yet completed; while the cow-house itself was fairly good, its
surroundings were in a disgraceful condition. The yard between the dwelling
house and cow-house had been covered in, shutting out both light and air from
both premises; it contained a hay loft in the upper part, in the lower an undrained
stall for a pony, and a large dung pit into which ran the urine, washings of
cans, &c. The ground floor room of the house immediately adjoining was used for
cleaning cans, and as a scullery ; the floor was badly paved, it had no proper
drainage, its only light being through the door into the yard, it was dark, wet, and
extremely dirty, and in one corner it contained a water-closet with no water laid
on ; the house generally was in a dilapidated condition. The yard has now been
opened up, the stable removed, and the water closet placed outside; the floor of
the room and yard is to be concreted and properly drained, and a window is to be
formed to light the back room.
When these works are completed, the Vestry will have the satisfaction of
knowing that the slaughter-houses and cow-houses in the parish have been placed
in as sanitary a condition as the law at present permits. The tendency, especially
in regard to the former, is to a reduction in number, butchers obtaining their meat
instead from the public slaughter-houses, and this movement is certainly in the
interests of the public health, as only under such circumstances can proper
inspection of the animals and meat be made.
Two questions in regard to manure will shortly require consideration.
Throughout the district manure has been generally stored below the level of the
ground in pits, not always water-tight and often of considerable size. It is
impossible that fluids can drain away from such pits, as any outlet which could be
provided would necessarily be at the bottom, and would readily be stopped up by
solid matters. The County Council in their draft bye-laws propose to remedy this
by requiring that all receptacles for dung shall be above ground. The second