To the Owner or Owners of certain premises fronting, adjoining, or abutting upon a certain street, calledin the parish ofin the borough ofin the county ofWhereas the said street is not levelled, paved, metalled, channelled and made good to the satisfaction of the mayor, aldermen and burgesses of,the urban sanitary authority of the above-named borough:And whereas your said premises front, adjoin, or abut on certain parts of the said street which requires to be levelled, paved, metalled, channelled and made good as aforesaid:Now therefore, the mayor, aldermen and burgesses of,the urban sanitary authority of the said borough as aforesaid, hereby give you notice (in pursuance of the statute in that case made and provided) to level, pave, metal, channel and make good the portion of the said street in which your said premises front, adjoin, or abut as aforesaid, within the space of one month from the date hereof, in manner following, that is to say:(If a sewer is to be formed, fill in this first.)The carriage-way and water tables thereof to be formed in the mode, according to the sections, and on the levels and at the rates of inclination shown upon the plan, sections, and in accordance with the specification of the work prepared by the surveyor to the said urban sanitary authority, and now open for public inspection at his office,during the usual office hours.The carriage-way to be bottomed, formed, and carefully levelled up to the form shown by the said sections; and in the following manner:(Here fill in specification of method.)Constructgullies, fitted with five-bar cast-iron gratings and frames of the form and pattern to be seenat,these gullies to be placed in such positions as are shown on the aforesaid plan and sections; each gully to have a six-inch glazed stoneware socket-pipe drain connecting it with the sewer, to be laid on a solid bed, and at an uniform inclination from gully to sewer, with joints made of neat Portland cement.The existing kerb to be taken up and replaced byinches byinches granite kerb in lengths of not less thaninches, to the lines shown on plan, and to the levels marked on sections.The water-tables or gutter to be channelled withproperly laid, and bedded on fine gravel to the levels and inclinations marked on sections.The footpaths shall be properly formed, bottomed, and drained where required; the formation level made to the inclination shown on section, and afterwards coated with.The whole of the above-mentioned works to be executed by you in accordance with the plan and sections hereinbefore referred to and now open for inspection at the surveyor’s office as aforesaid, and of the dimensions, widths and levels shown thereon, and to be done in a good, workmanlike and substantial manner, to the satisfaction of the said urban sanitary authority and of their surveyor.An estimate of the probable cost of the said work, prepared under the direction of the surveyor to the said urban sanitary authority, is also lying for inspection at the office of the said surveyor, in manner required by section 150 of the Public Health Act 1875.Dated thisday of18 ._________________________Town Clerk.
To the Owner or Owners of certain premises fronting, adjoining, or abutting upon a certain street, calledin the parish ofin the borough ofin the county of
Whereas the said street is not levelled, paved, metalled, channelled and made good to the satisfaction of the mayor, aldermen and burgesses of,the urban sanitary authority of the above-named borough:
And whereas your said premises front, adjoin, or abut on certain parts of the said street which requires to be levelled, paved, metalled, channelled and made good as aforesaid:
Now therefore, the mayor, aldermen and burgesses of,the urban sanitary authority of the said borough as aforesaid, hereby give you notice (in pursuance of the statute in that case made and provided) to level, pave, metal, channel and make good the portion of the said street in which your said premises front, adjoin, or abut as aforesaid, within the space of one month from the date hereof, in manner following, that is to say:
(If a sewer is to be formed, fill in this first.)
The carriage-way and water tables thereof to be formed in the mode, according to the sections, and on the levels and at the rates of inclination shown upon the plan, sections, and in accordance with the specification of the work prepared by the surveyor to the said urban sanitary authority, and now open for public inspection at his office,during the usual office hours.
The carriage-way to be bottomed, formed, and carefully levelled up to the form shown by the said sections; and in the following manner:
(Here fill in specification of method.)
Constructgullies, fitted with five-bar cast-iron gratings and frames of the form and pattern to be seenat,these gullies to be placed in such positions as are shown on the aforesaid plan and sections; each gully to have a six-inch glazed stoneware socket-pipe drain connecting it with the sewer, to be laid on a solid bed, and at an uniform inclination from gully to sewer, with joints made of neat Portland cement.
The existing kerb to be taken up and replaced byinches byinches granite kerb in lengths of not less thaninches, to the lines shown on plan, and to the levels marked on sections.
The water-tables or gutter to be channelled withproperly laid, and bedded on fine gravel to the levels and inclinations marked on sections.
The footpaths shall be properly formed, bottomed, and drained where required; the formation level made to the inclination shown on section, and afterwards coated with.
The whole of the above-mentioned works to be executed by you in accordance with the plan and sections hereinbefore referred to and now open for inspection at the surveyor’s office as aforesaid, and of the dimensions, widths and levels shown thereon, and to be done in a good, workmanlike and substantial manner, to the satisfaction of the said urban sanitary authority and of their surveyor.
An estimate of the probable cost of the said work, prepared under the direction of the surveyor to the said urban sanitary authority, is also lying for inspection at the office of the said surveyor, in manner required by section 150 of the Public Health Act 1875.
Dated thisday of18 .
_________________________Town Clerk.
_________________________Town Clerk.
The clause then goes on to say “If such notice is not complied with.”
It would be a most difficult and costly proceeding for any individual owner of property to execute the work for halfthe width of the street opposite his length of frontage, and the result would be anything but satisfactory if the owners of the properties were to comply with the notices in this manner.
If the owners do intend to comply with the notice, and carry out the work themselves, the best method for them to adopt is to hold a meeting and decide upon having it done, then to appoint one of their number, or some other person to superintend or carry out the work, and afterwards collect the money, but this is very seldom done, and the wisest course (which is generally adopted) is not to comply with the notice, but let the urban authority execute the work themselves. This again entails considerable labour upon the town surveyor, who has to superintend the work and see that all the details contained in the statutory notices are properly carried out, but his labour does not end here. Upon the completion of the work the amount expended has to be recovered “from the owners in default according to the frontage of their respective premises, and in such proportion as is settled by the surveyor of the urban authority, or (in case of dispute) by arbitration.”
It is scarcely necessary to point out what an immense amount of responsible work this involves. First, a separate account of all the labour and materials employed on the street must be most carefully kept and totalled at the end of the work, with such additional sum for supervision, &c., as the urban authority may think necessary.[151]The exact length of each property “fronting, adjoining or abutting” on the street, must be most carefully measured. A proportionate sum has then to be calculated for each of these, and this sum is often complicated by cross roads, cul-de-sacs, narrow passages, strips of land intervening between the street and the properties, and many other perplexing intricacies, in addition to those personswho are legally exempted from any payment under the following clause of the Public Health Act 1875:
“The incumbent or minister of any church, chapel, or place appropriated to public religious worship, which is now by law exempt from rates for the relief of the poor, shall not be liable to any expenses under the last preceding section as the owner or occupier of such church, chapel, or place, or of any churchyard or burial ground attached thereto, nor shall any such expenses be deemed to be a charge on such church, chapel or other place, or on such churchyard or burial ground . . .” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 151.).
The town surveyor, having ascertained what is the amount of the sum due from each owner, shall proceed to fill in the amount upon a form a specimen of which is now given:
To the Owner of certain premises fronting, adjoining or abutting upon a certain street calledin the parish ofin the borough ofin the county ofWhereas the mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the urban sanitary authority for the said,by a notice in writing pursuant to the statute in that behalf made and provided, dated theday of,18 ,required you being the owner of certain premises fronting, adjoining or abutting upon a street or highway called,within the said(and not being a street or highway repairable by the inhabitants at large) to level, pave, metal, channel and make good the said street or highway within the time and in the manner specified in the said notice, and according to the plans and sections deposited at the office of the surveyor to the said urban sanitary authority at:And whereas the said notice not having been complied with by you within the time limited by the said notice, the said urban sanitary authority have executed the works mentioned or referred to therein:And whereas the expenses incurred by the said urban sanitary authority in levelling, paving, metalling, channelling and making good the said street, amount topoundsshillings andpence:Wherefore take notice that I the undersigned, being the surveyor of the said urban sanitary authority, in pursuance of the statutes in that case made and provided, do hereby apportion the sum ofpounds,shillings andpence as the proportion of the said sum ofpounds,shillings andpence, to be paid by you as such owner aforesaid, such apportionment being according to the frontage of your said premises, fronting, adjoining or abutting upon the said street or highway.Further take notice that the aforesaid apportionment will be binding and conclusive upon you unless within the period of three months from the day of the date of this notice you shall by written notice to the said urban sanitary authority dispute the same.Dated thisday of,18 .______________________Surveyor to the said Urban Sanitary Authority.______________________Clerk of the said Urban Sanitary Authority.
To the Owner of certain premises fronting, adjoining or abutting upon a certain street calledin the parish ofin the borough ofin the county of
Whereas the mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the urban sanitary authority for the said,by a notice in writing pursuant to the statute in that behalf made and provided, dated theday of,18 ,required you being the owner of certain premises fronting, adjoining or abutting upon a street or highway called,within the said(and not being a street or highway repairable by the inhabitants at large) to level, pave, metal, channel and make good the said street or highway within the time and in the manner specified in the said notice, and according to the plans and sections deposited at the office of the surveyor to the said urban sanitary authority at:
And whereas the said notice not having been complied with by you within the time limited by the said notice, the said urban sanitary authority have executed the works mentioned or referred to therein:
And whereas the expenses incurred by the said urban sanitary authority in levelling, paving, metalling, channelling and making good the said street, amount topoundsshillings andpence:
Wherefore take notice that I the undersigned, being the surveyor of the said urban sanitary authority, in pursuance of the statutes in that case made and provided, do hereby apportion the sum ofpounds,shillings andpence as the proportion of the said sum ofpounds,shillings andpence, to be paid by you as such owner aforesaid, such apportionment being according to the frontage of your said premises, fronting, adjoining or abutting upon the said street or highway.
Further take notice that the aforesaid apportionment will be binding and conclusive upon you unless within the period of three months from the day of the date of this notice you shall by written notice to the said urban sanitary authority dispute the same.
Dated thisday of,18 .
______________________Surveyor to the said Urban Sanitary Authority.______________________Clerk of the said Urban Sanitary Authority.
______________________Surveyor to the said Urban Sanitary Authority.______________________Clerk of the said Urban Sanitary Authority.
There seems to be no power on the part of any owner to dispute the question as to whether the works carried out have been necessary or not, or whether the cost of the works have been excessive; the only point upon which they can go to arbitration is that as to whether the proportion settled by the surveyor is accurate or not, and this point the arbitrator is left to decide.
It must not be lost sight of that there is a clause in the Public Health Act 1875, which makes the expenses so settled by the surveyor very binding upon the owner of the property in question, unless he appeals within three months from theservice of the notice, as the following extract from the clause will show:
. . . “Where such expenses have been settled and apportioned by the surveyor of the local authority as payable by such owner, such apportionment shall be binding and conclusive on such owner, unless within three months from service of notice on him by the local authority or their surveyor of the amount settled by the surveyor to be due from such owner, he shall by written notice dispute the same” . . . (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 257)[152]and it must also be borne in mind that the person from whom these expenses may be recovered “is the owner of the premises at the time when the work was done, not the owner to whom notice requiring the work to be done may be given” (videFitzgerald’s Public Health Act, p. 301, 3rd edition); so that the town surveyor must be very careful to make sure that any of the property abutting on the street has not changed hands before he commences the work.
After the 150th section of the Public Health Act has been carried out and a private street has been thus put into thorough repair, the urban authority may take possession of it and declare it to be a highway repairable by the inhabitants at large; the following section of the Act gives the modus operandi necessary to effect this:
“When any street within any urban district, not being a highway repairable by the inhabitants at large, has been sewered, levelled, paved, flagged, metalled, channelled and made good and provided with proper means of lighting to the satisfaction of the urban authority, such authority may if they think fit, by notice in writing put up in any part of the street, declare the same to be a highway, and thereupon the same shall become a highway repairable by the inhabitants at large, and every such notice shall be entered among the proceedings of the urban authority.
“Provided that no such street shall become a highway so repairable if within one month after such notice has been put up, the proprietor or the majority in number of proprietors of such street, by notice in writing to the urban authority, object thereto, and in ascertaining such majority, joint proprietors shall be reckoned as one proprietor” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 152).
The necessary notices in conformity with this section are usually prepared by the town clerk, so that the town surveyor has nothing to do with this proceeding except to maintain the street after it has been declared a highway repairable by the inhabitants at large, in the same manner as he does the rest of the public streets within his district.
There is still one other clause of the Public Health Act 1875, which deals with the question of private roads, and it is as follows:
“Any urban authority may agree with any person for the making of roads within their district for the public use through the lands and at the expense of such person, and may agree that such roads shall become and the same shall accordingly become on completion, highways maintainable and repairable by the inhabitants at large within their district; they may also with the consent of two-thirds of their number agree with such person to pay and may accordingly pay any portion of the expenses of making such roads” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 146).
This clause is very explicit and requires no comment, it would however be much better for the urban authority in contemplating a case of this description to execute the necessary works themselves and agree with the person about the expense, for if they are intended to be afterwards taken over it is to be feared that the roads would be very improperly constructed in the first place by the person intending to hand them over. It must be noted that the word “roads” is used in the above clause instead of “streets” as in the otherclauses I have quoted, and also that the word “maintainable” is added to repairable.
Street is the term legally used in the Public Health Act 1875, and is thus defined:
“Street includes any highway (not being a turnpike road) and any public bridge (not being a county bridge), and any road, lane, footway, square, court, alley or passage, whether a thoroughfare or not” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 4.) so that whereas in the 150th section of the Public Health Act 1875, any of the above can be dealt with, it is only open for the urban authority to deal with roads under the 146th section of the Act, and it is sometimes rather difficult to define a road for the purposes of the latter section.
[151]In some districts the urban authority make an additional charge of 5 per cent. upon the total outlay to cover the cost of preliminary surveys and supervision of the work by their surveyor; this 5 per cent., however, is not paid to him, but is paid to the city treasurer, and thus becomes a set off against his salary.[152]See also 38 & 39 Vict. c. 55, s. 268, where a person who deems himself aggrieved may memorialise the Local Government Board, &c.
[151]In some districts the urban authority make an additional charge of 5 per cent. upon the total outlay to cover the cost of preliminary surveys and supervision of the work by their surveyor; this 5 per cent., however, is not paid to him, but is paid to the city treasurer, and thus becomes a set off against his salary.
[152]See also 38 & 39 Vict. c. 55, s. 268, where a person who deems himself aggrieved may memorialise the Local Government Board, &c.
One of the most important duties devolving upon a “town surveyor” is that of exercising control over any new streets that may be constructed, or any new buildings that may be erected, within the limits of his jurisdiction.
This duty is imposed on him by the following clause of the Public Health Act 1875:
“Every urban authority may make byelaws with respect to the following matters; (that is to say,)
“(1.) With respect to the level, width and construction of new streets, and the provisions for the sewerage thereof;
“(2.) With respect to the structure of walls, foundations, roofs, and chimneys of new buildings, for securing stability and the prevention of fires, and for purposes of health;
“(3.) With respect to the sufficiency of the space about buildings to secure a free circulation of air, and with respect to the ventilation of buildings;
“(4.) With respect to the drainage of buildings, to waterclosets, earth closets, privies, ashpits, and cesspools, in connexion with buildings, and to the closing of buildings or parts of buildings unfit for human habitation, and to prohibition of their use for such habitation;
“And they may further provide for the observance of such byelaws by enacting therein such provisions as they think necessary as to the giving of notices; as to the deposit of plans and sections by persons intending to lay out streets or to construct buildings; as to inspection by the urban authority, and as to the power of such authority (subject to the provisions of this Act) to remove, alter, or pull down any workbegun or done in contravention of such byelaws. Provided that no byelaw made under this section shall affect any building erected in any place (which at the time of the passing of this Act is included in an urban sanitary district) before the Local Government Acts came into force in such place, or any building erected in any place (which at the time of the passing of this Act is not included in an urban sanitary district) before such place becomes constituted or included in an urban district, or by virtue of any order of the Local Government Board subject to this enactment.
“The provisions of this section, and of the two last preceding sections, shall not apply to buildings belonging to any railway company, and used for the purposes of such railway under any Act of Parliament” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 157).
The result of this power having been so given to urban authorities, is that they have all framed sets of byelaws, which having received the sanction of the Local Government Board, are now law in the several districts.
In the year 1877, it being found that considerable variation existed in the requirements set forth in the byelaws, according to the districts from which they emanated, and experience having shown that the forms of byelaws previously issued by the Local Government Board were inadequate, the Local Government Board in order to assist urban authorities issued a series of model byelaws; amongst the series being a set of byelaws regulating the manner in which new streets should be constructed and buildings erected.[153]
These model byelaws are too extensive to give in detail, as they contain 99 clauses, but every town surveyor should at once procure a copy, even if his corporation have not adopted them, nor intend to do so.
One of the first difficulties that often presents itself tothose who have to enforce the observance of the necessary “giving of notices and deposit of plans and sections by persons intending to construct new buildings” is to prove that the building is “new” so as to bring it under the operations of the Act.
In many cases, of course, there can be no doubt where bare land is being built upon, but often after buildings have been partially destroyed by fire, or where extensive alterations are being carried out, some considerable elements of uncertainty as to what is a “new building” are introduced.
The law attempts to settle the question as follows:
“For the purposes of this Act, the re-erecting of any building pulled down to, or below the ground floor, or of any frame-building of which only the frame-work is left down to the ground floor, or the conversion into a dwelling house of any building not originally constructed for human habitation, or the conversion into more than one dwelling house of a building originally constructed as one dwelling house only, shall be considered the erection of a new building” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 159).
But the difficulty at once presents itself as to what is meant by the words “ground floor.” Does this mean the actual floor level, or the cubical space contained by the walls, floor and ceiling of the “ground floor” (or as it is sometimes called “ground story”) of the building? The latter may be assumed to be the correct interpretation, for if we order a man to hang a picture, or to fix a chandelier on the “ground floor,” we certainly do not expect to find them placed upon the floor.
It is important that this point should be settled definitely, or some more explanatory term employed in the Act in order to determine what is a new building, for in the present state of uncertainty it may be urged that the whole building must be razed to the ground, whereas if the proper meaning of “ground floor” is taken, would the removal of the superstructureand destruction of the ceiling only of the “ground floor” bring the new work under the definition of a new building and within the operation of the byelaws?
This uncertainty is now taken advantage of by builders and others, who sometimes find it irksome and inconvenient to be obliged to construct a building in accordance with the byelaws of any town. Somewhat sharp practices are consequently resorted to in order to evade the law, and old buildings are converted into new ones without any powers of interference by the urban authority or their surveyor. This is greatly to be regretted, as unless the building comes within the operation of the byelaws, it is frequently erected without any sanitary precautions or even stability.
Sometimes a so-called repair of a building is commenced by adding a new roof perhaps, at a higher level than the old one; when sufficient time has elapsed to allay suspicion, a new front is erected, and then new back and side walls in due course, the alteration of the interior floors not attracting much attention.
Cases of this description are very troublesome to the town surveyor, as if legal proceedings are to be taken against the offender, it is necessary for the surveyor to make surveys and drawings of the works as they are in progress in order to prove his case, and these might extend over a considerable period of time.[154]In order to make these surveys it would be necessary for him to enter the premises whilst the works were in progress, but there does not seem to be any powers conferred on him by any Act of Parliament for such a purpose,so that really he has no power to prevent the occurrences I have mentioned.
It must also not be forgotten that what may sometimes appear to be an entirely new building, may only be an addition to one that existed before the passing of the Act, and although the new work may be ten times as large as the old, still much conflicting evidence may be brought to bear before it can be proved to be a “new building” within the meaning of the Act.
Turning again to section 159 of the Public Health Act 1875, these words will be found as defining also what is a new building: “or the conversion into a dwelling house of any building not originally constructed for human habitation.”
It would have been better in the interests of sanitation if the Act had prohibited the conversion of any building at all into a dwelling house without the approval of the urban authority, for as the law stands at present, it is open for an owner of property to convert stables or warehouses, &c., into dwelling houses, by simply asserting and bringing witnesses or other evidence to prove that they were “originally constructed for human habitation” irrespective of whether they are adapted for the purpose or not, thus defeating the intention of the Public Health Act to secure a better description of dwellings than those that were erected before the passing of the Act.
When a dispute does arise with anyone as to whether a building comes within the definition of “new” or not, it is well if possible to agree upon certain points of fact and upon plans, &c., before the case comes into court, and then to endeavour to get the magistrates to “view.” This course if pursued often saves lengthy litigation, and a great waste of time and money.
With reference to the deposit of plans of new streets or buildings, the following clause of the Public Health Act 1875 provides that this shall be done:
“Where a notice, plan or description of any work isrequired by any byelaw made by an urban authority to be laid before that authority, the urban authority shall, within one month after the same has been delivered or sent to their surveyor or clerk,[155]signify in writing their approval or disapproval of the intended work to the person proposing to execute the same; and if the work is commenced after such notice of disapproval, or before the expiration of such month without such approval, and is in any respect not in conformity with any byelaw of the urban authority, the urban authority may cause so much of the work as has been executed to be pulled down or removed” . . . (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 158.).
The result of these clauses of the Act with reference to new streets and buildings is, that some of the most arduous and irksome duties of the town surveyor are embodied in the few words they contain. These duties consist of, first, the careful examination of, and report upon all plans of new streets and buildings; secondly, the constant supervision of these streets and buildings whilst the works are in progress; and each of these duties will be considered in the course of this chapter.
First then, as to the deposit and examination of the plans of new streets or buildings.
The byelaws of which I have already made mention should contain some such clause as the following:
“Every person who shall intend to make or lay out any new street, whether the same shall be intended to be used as a public way or not, shall give notice to the urban authority of such intention, by writing delivered to them at their office, or at the office of their surveyor, and shall at the same time leave or cause to be left at the office of the urban authority, or of their surveyor, a plan and section of such intended new street, drawn to a scale of not less than 1 inch to every 44 feet, and shall show on every such plan the names of the owners of the land through or over which such street shall beintended to pass, the level, width, direction, the proposed mode of construction, the proposed name of such intended new street, and its position relatively to the streets nearest thereto; the size and number of the intended building lots, and the proposed sites, height, class, and nature of the buildings to be erected therein, and the proposed height of the division and fence walls thereon; and the name and address of the person intending to lay out such new street, and he shall himself sign such plan, or cause the same to be signed by his duly authorised agent.
“Such person shall show on every such section the level of the present surface of the ground above some known fixed datum, the level and rate or rates of inclination of the intended new street, the level and inclination of the streets with which it will be connected, and the level of the lowest floors of the intended new buildings.
“Every person who shall intend to erect any new building shall give notice to the urban authority of such intention by writing delivered to them at their office or at the office of their surveyor, and shall at the same time leave or cause to be left at the said office detail plans and sections of every floor of such intended new building, drawn to a scale of not less than 1 inch to every 8 feet, showing the position, form and dimensions of the several parts of such building, and of the watercloset, earth closet, privy, cesspool, ashpit, well, and all other appurtenances; and together with such plans and sections he shall leave or cause to be left at the office of the urban authority, or of their surveyor, a description of the materials of which the building is proposed to be constructed, of the intended mode of drainage, and means of water supply.
“Such person shall at the same time leave or cause to be left at the office of the urban authority, or of their surveyor, a block plan drawn to a scale of not less than 1 inch to every 44 feet, and shall show the position of the buildings and appurtenances of the properties immediately adjoining, thewidth and level of the street in front, and of the street, if any, at the rear of such building, the level of the lowest floor of such building, and of any yard or ground belonging thereto.
“Such person shall likewise show on such plan the intended lines of drainage of such building, and the intended size, depth and inclination of each drain; and the details of the arrangement proposed to be adopted for the ventilation of the drains.”
With reference to the deposit of plans as required by the above byelaw, the following suggestions as to the best manner of effecting this may be of some use:
(1.) The town surveyor should see that the person, or his agent, intending to carry out the work, deposits tracings of the proposed street or building signed by himself, so that there should be no after dispute as to what really has been deposited; these tracings should be on good paper properly inked in and coloured so as to be indelible. In some towns it is the practice for original plans to be deposited temporarily with the surveyor, who is expected to have them traced and then returned to the owner, but this not only tends to the possibility of dispute as to the correctness of the tracings, but it also takes up a large amount of the surveyor’s time, or of such other officer as may have charge of this branch of the duties.
In order to insure that the plans deposited shall not be afterwards claimed by the person making the deposit, it might be well to add these words to the clause of the byelaws which I have quoted:
“All such plans and sections so left at the office of the urban authority or of their surveyor, shall remain the property of the urban authority.”
(2.) It is advisable for the town surveyor to have in his possession a number of printed forms on which application should be made by the person intending to erect a new building and filled in and signed by him or his duly authorised agent. The following is given as a specimen form for this purpose:
To the Surveyor of the Urban Authority ofI hereby give you notice that it is my intention to erect certain buildings instreet, and that the following particulars relate thereto:No.Questions.No.Answers.1Christian and Surnamein full, Address and Occupation of persons for whom buildings to be erected.12Number of drawings deposited.23Name of architect, if any.34Description of buildings and of the materials to be used in construction of same.45Situation of buildings.56Level, or intended level of cellar, or ground floor, with reference to surface of street.67Thickness of walls.78Height of building in stories.89Area of clear open space at rear or side of buildings exclusively belonging thereto.910Distance across such open space.1011Description of ventilation.1112Width of street or open space opposite buildings.1213Size and description of drains, and traps, and if ventilated.1314Inclination of drains.1415Description of outlet to drains.1516How supplied with water.1617Situation, dimensions, and particulars of apparatus of w.c.’s.17And I herewith leave detail plans and sections of everyfloor of such intended new buildings, drawn to a scale of not less than 1 inch to every 8 feet, showing the position, form, and dimensions of the several parts of such buildings, and of the watercloset, privy, cesspool, earthcloset, ashpit, well, and all other appurtenances; and also, a block plan drawn to a scale of not less than 1 inch to every 44 feet, showing the position of the buildings and appurtenances of the properties immediately adjoining, the width and level of the street, the level of the lowest floor of the intended building, and of the yard or ground belonging thereto.Dated thisday of18Signature in full,Address,Occupation,
To the Surveyor of the Urban Authority of
I hereby give you notice that it is my intention to erect certain buildings instreet, and that the following particulars relate thereto:
And I herewith leave detail plans and sections of everyfloor of such intended new buildings, drawn to a scale of not less than 1 inch to every 8 feet, showing the position, form, and dimensions of the several parts of such buildings, and of the watercloset, privy, cesspool, earthcloset, ashpit, well, and all other appurtenances; and also, a block plan drawn to a scale of not less than 1 inch to every 44 feet, showing the position of the buildings and appurtenances of the properties immediately adjoining, the width and level of the street, the level of the lowest floor of the intended building, and of the yard or ground belonging thereto.
Dated thisday of18
Signature in full,Address,Occupation,
Signature in full,Address,Occupation,
A similar form may be prepared relating to plans of proposed new streets, but of course the number of the questions contained in it will be less.
(3.) When the necessary notices have been given and the tracings properly deposited with the surveyor, he should carefully examine them to see if they are in accordance with the byelaws which are in force in his district. They should then be folded and placed in a large envelope, which should be endorsed with the name of the person proposing to carry out the work, the description of the work proposed, the name of the architect, if any, the name of the builder, if any, the date of the deposit, and a blank left for the date of approval. Each envelope should also have a large number stamped upon it.
(4.) These particulars should be entered in a book of reference against a corresponding number, so that at any future date it may be easy to find and refer to any plans that have been deposited by means of an index and the number on the envelope.
(5.) If on examining the plans the surveyor finds anythingin them which does not conform to the byelaws, he should be empowered by the urban authority to return them at once to the person depositing them, without having to wait to lay them before a committee, as this is a great saving of time. In returning the plans the surveyor should write a letter setting forth a schedule of his objections and the particulars of the manner in which the plans and sections fail to comply with the requirements of the byelaws.
(6.) If the plans are redeposited unaltered or showing still some non-compliance with the byelaws, the surveyor must lay them before his committee and explain in what respects they are defective, leaving it to the committee to decide whether they shall be approved or not.
(7.) If the plans are in accordance with the byelaws, the surveyor reports the fact to the committee, whereupon the plans should be at once signed by the chairman of the committee.
(8.) All plans which the committee decline to approve of should be at once returned to the person who deposited them with a written notification of the reasons.
(9.) Plans which are approved of by the committee and afterwards ratified by the general meeting of the urban authority, should be carefully put away in pigeon-holes, so that by means of the reference book previously described they can be easily found at any future time. This is very important, as no extension of a building the plans of which have been thus approved by the urban authority can ever afterwards be carried out without their consent; and the plans of any alteration which would not involve building upon an increased area must be deposited as in the case of a new building.
(10.) A notification in writing should be sent to the person who has deposited the plans when they have been approved by the urban authority; and in sending this notification it is well to draw his attention to the fact that notice must be given to the surveyor of the commencement of the work, in order thatthe foundations, drains, &c., may be examined by him before the ground is filled in.
The importance and necessity for the deposit of plans with a sanitary authority cannot be over-estimated, but this deposit is of but little practical good unless it can be insured that all the buildings are erected strictly in conformity with these plans, and this, according to the Act, is the duty also of the town surveyor. As a matter of fact, it is quite impossible for any single person in any large town to perform this duty, and a staff of assistants is consequently necessary if the sanitary authority really wish their byelaws to be enforced.
Anyone who is practically acquainted with the difficulties that even architects experience in superintending buildings they havethemselvesdesigned, and how much they have to trust to the clerk of works (of which there is generally one to every building), will readily see what an absurdity it is to suppose that a town surveyor, with his multitude of other duties and attendances at committees and meetings, can even pretend to see that the 99 detail clauses of such byelaws as those emanating from the Local Government Board Office, or even those of a less stringent character, can possibly be enforced, especially when it is remembered that many of the buildings he has to inspect have no superintending architect, but are being erected for purposes of speculation by what are commonly known as jerry builders.
Laws may be passed, books on sanitary questions may be written, but until a change is made in the machinery and manner of the inspection of buildings in the course of erection, and a large staff of inspectors or sanitary police or some such officials are kept by a sanitary authority, very little real advancement will be made with the poorer classes of buildings.
It must in fairness to the builder be stated that to erect houses in strict accordance with the model byelaws would probably mean loss of money to him, as they could notpossibly be built with any prospect of a reasonable return upon the outlay. This partly arises from the stringent clauses inserted with respect to the structure of walls and other precautions for the prevention of fires. I cannot help thinking that too much interference is now made by sanitary authorities for the protection of property from fire.[156]It is not a sanitary question, and is certainly one which chiefly affects insurance companies. Every one should be able to pay his small insurance premium and the companies should look after their own interests, and not expect it to be done by others. If the sanitary authority wish to interfere in the question of fire, why should not the protection oflifebe considered as much as property? Yet no clause can be discovered in the model byelaws rendering it compulsory to make some provision in dwelling-houses or factories for the easy escape of the inmates in case of fire. Indeed, as the Public Health Act does not authorise the enactment of a byelaw for such a purpose, such a clause would most probably be held to beultra vires.
Another cause of expense to builders is the necessity imposed on them to provide a comparatively large open space at the back or sides of new dwelling-houses, thus sacrificing land, and sometimes making it almost impossible to build at all. This necessity for open gardens or yards at the back of even small labourers’ dwellings is in some towns pushed to an extreme. If such houses are erected in a thoroughly sanitary manner in all points of detail, it is questionable if this open space is really beneficial. My experience has shown me that the space is often misused, animals, such as rabbits, chickens, pigeons, &c., being kept there, or it is made into a so-called garden, really a refuse heap which is a receptacle for all the garbage and filth of the house, soon becoming a fruitful sourceof disease to the occupants of the house itself and the neighbours. It is also difficult to ensure that the space thus provided and approved of in the deposited plans shall not be built upon at some future period. It would be better if the streets in front of such dwellings were wide, and a narrow street or “drangway” constructed at the back for the dust-cart service, supply of coals, &c. The houses themselves should have their rooms properly and thoroughly ventilated; underground kitchens or living rooms should be prohibited. The drainage, water-supply, and all the apparatus in connection with them, should be perfect but simple. At the back of the house should be a small yard or court well paved with asphalte or other impervious material, in which should be placed the wash-house, w.c., &c. These and public parks and plenty of fresh air in the streets and in the dwelling-houses themselves should take the place of the large open spaces at the back of small dwelling-houses, which, as I have already stated, are generally so much misused.
The model byelaws with regard to new streets and buildings issued by the Local Government Board contain most admirable clauses—valuable suggestions which should receive attention from any town surveyor who has to advise his corporation upon the subject of framing a set of byelaws for his district—but they necessarily contain many clauses which are not suitable equally well for towns in the north, south, east, and west of England.
Many of the clauses are too stringent to be enforced, but this arises not from any fault in the byelaws themselves, but rather from the machinery employed in carrying them into effect. To secure all that they require adequate inspection is needed, and this might be effected if there was a fee charged by the urban authority of any town for the purposes of proper inspection of buildings in course of construction; and although it must be admitted that any provision which increases the cost of construction of small dwelling-houses which shall becomplete in all sanitary requisites is undesirable, the extra cost of such inspection would be too small to be appreciable, while the advantages arising from such improved supervision would, even from a pecuniary point of view, be of immense advantage not only to the community as tending to improve the public health, but also to the owner as ensuring good honest work in return for his money. In larger and more expensive buildings this supervision is exercised by the architect, but as a rule there is no architect employed in the case of small houses, and the builder is accordingly left to his own devices, with frequently unfortunate results.
[153]‘Model Bye-laws issued by the Local Government Board for the use of sanitary authorities. New Streets and Buildings, IV.’ Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode, 1877.[154]It is open also to question whether in the case of an old building being gradually altered into a new one, it would be possible to prosecute, as there is the following limitation as to proceedings in the Public Health Act 1875: “Any complaint or information made or laid in pursuance of this Act shall be made or laid within six months from the time when the matter of such complaint or information respectively arose” . . . (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 252). The complaint could not be made when the work was first commenced, as no offence would have been committed, and if made after the work was finished, it might be urged that the offence was commenced more than six months prior, and that the complaint should have been made “when the matter of such complaint or information respectively arose.”[155]Plans are usually deposited with the surveyor as being the officer who would be most likely to understand them.[156]Nothing can be more vexatious than the bye-law compelling the party walls of new buildings to be carried up above the roof to at least 12 inches; not only does this frequently spoil the architectural appearance of a building, but it causes great expense in order to keep the wet out: a very difficult thing with a wall treated in this manner.
[153]‘Model Bye-laws issued by the Local Government Board for the use of sanitary authorities. New Streets and Buildings, IV.’ Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode, 1877.
[154]It is open also to question whether in the case of an old building being gradually altered into a new one, it would be possible to prosecute, as there is the following limitation as to proceedings in the Public Health Act 1875: “Any complaint or information made or laid in pursuance of this Act shall be made or laid within six months from the time when the matter of such complaint or information respectively arose” . . . (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 252). The complaint could not be made when the work was first commenced, as no offence would have been committed, and if made after the work was finished, it might be urged that the offence was commenced more than six months prior, and that the complaint should have been made “when the matter of such complaint or information respectively arose.”
[155]Plans are usually deposited with the surveyor as being the officer who would be most likely to understand them.
[156]Nothing can be more vexatious than the bye-law compelling the party walls of new buildings to be carried up above the roof to at least 12 inches; not only does this frequently spoil the architectural appearance of a building, but it causes great expense in order to keep the wet out: a very difficult thing with a wall treated in this manner.
In a great number of towns in this country the town surveyor has charge of the unostentatious, though very necessary sanitary work of the scavenging of the district over which he has charge, and the following are the clauses of the Public Health Act 1875, under which he carries out his duties:
“Every local authority may, and when required by order of the Local Government Board shall, themselves undertake or contractfor—
“The removal of house refuse from premises;
“The cleansing of earthclosets, privies, ashpits, and cesspools;
either for the whole or any part of their district: Moreover every urban authority and any rural authority invested by the Local Government Board with the requisite powers may, and when required by the said board shall, themselves undertake or contract for the proper cleansing of streets, and may also themselves undertake or contract for the proper watering of streets for the whole or any part of their district.
“All matters collected by the local authority or contractor in pursuance of this section may be sold or otherwise disposed of, and any profits thus made by an urban authority shall be carried to the account of the fund or rate applicable by them for the general purposes of this Act; and any profits thus made by a rural authority in respect of any contributory place shall be carried to the account of the fund or rate out of which expenses incurred under this section by that authority in such contributory place are defrayed.
“If any person removes or obstructs the local authority or contractor in removing any matters by this section authorisedto be removed by the local authority, he shall for each offence be liable to a penalty not exceeding five pounds: Provided that the occupier of the house within the district shall not be liable to such penalty in respect of any such matters which are produced on his own premises and are intended to be removed for sale or for his own use, and are in the meantime kept so as not to be a nuisance” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 42).
The next clause imposes a penalty on the local authority if they fail “without reasonable excuse after notice in writing from the occupier of any house” to cleanse the ashpit, &c., within seven days if they have “themselves undertaken or contracted for the removal of house refuse” &c., and the next clause is as follows:
“Where the local authority do not themselves undertake or contract for,
“The cleansing of footways and pavements adjoining any premises;
“The removal of house refuse from any premises;
“The cleansing of earthclosets, privies, ashpits, and cesspools belonging to any premises;
“They may make byelaws imposing the duty of such cleansing or removal, at such intervals as they think fit, on the occupier of any such premises.
“An urban authority[157]may also make byelaws for the prevention of nuisances arising from snow, filth, dust, ashes, and rubbish, and for the prevention of the keeping of animals on any premises so as to be injurious to health”[158](38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 44).
There is also another clause in the Public Health Act 1875, which is as follows:
“Any urban authority may, if they see fit, provide in proper and convenient situations receptacles for the temporary deposit and collection of dust, ashes, and rubbish; they may also provide fit buildings and places for the deposit of any matters collected by them in pursuance of this part of this Act” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 45).
The result of the above comprehensive clauses upon the subject of scavenging is that the following duties fall upon the town surveyor where that officer is responsible for such work:
(1.) “The removal of house refuse from premises.”
This work, like all the rest which follows, can be done either by the local authority themselves or by contract, the former method, as I hope presently to show, being much the best system.
In connection with this first duty of the removal of house refuse, the following points will have to be considered:
(a.) What is house refuse?
(b.) What is the best manner of storing it on the premises pending the visit of the scavenger?
(c.) Which are the best methods for its collection?
(d.) Which are the best methods for its disposal?
(2.) “The cleansing of earthclosets, privies, ashpits, and cesspools.”
This work where necessary (owing to the want of a system of sewerage) can be carried out simultaneously with the collection of house refuse and in almost the same manner.
(3.) “The proper cleansing of streets.”
In connection with this duty the following points must be considered:
(a.) The best methods for sweeping and cleansing streets.
(b.) If machinery effects such work better and more economically than hand labour.
(c.) The extra work involved by the bad construction of streets, or the ill chosen materials of which they are formed.
(d.) Whether private streets, courts and alleys, “not repairable by the inhabitants at large,” should be swept and cleansed by the local authority?
(e.) The ultimate disposal of excessive accumulations of mud.
(f.) The removal and disposal of snow.
(4.) “The proper watering of streets for the whole or any part of their district.”
In considering this question it is necessary to note:
(a.) The best form of vehicle for carrying and spreading the water.
(b.) The number, position, and description of standpipes.
(c.) Whether vehicles, or fixed standpipes and hose are best.
(5.) If the local authority do not impose a byelaw they must themselves cleanse the “footways and pavements adjoining any premises;” and this in excessively muddy weather, or after a heavy fall of snow, is no inconsiderable work.
(6.) Anurban authoritymay make provision for the “temporary deposit and collection of dust, ashes and rubbish.”
This involves public dust-bins being placed in suitable positions in the town, the points in connection with this work being,
(a.) The most suitable sites for such accommodation.
(b.) The materials and form of which they shall be constructed.
Having thus stated all the heads under which the work of scavenging may be grouped, it is necessary to decide what is “house refuse;” for unless this is satisfactorily settled, considerable onus and expense will be put upon the local authority ifthey are to include in the removal trade, garden, and other similar refuse.[159]
It may be assumed that all house refuse which it is the duty of the scavenger to remove, is really so removed by the direction of the local authority without dispute, but that the following articles, which frequently find their way into a domestic dust-bin, are not in the strict terms of the Act expected to be removed by him. (1) Plaster from walls and brick bats, (2) Large quantities of broken bottles and flower pots, (3) Clinkers and ashes from foundries and green-houses, (4) Wall paper torn from the rooms of a house, (5) Scrap tin (but not old tins which have contained meats, &c., and which, although very useless and bulky, may be fairly assumed to be house refuse), (6) All garden refuse such as grass cuttings, dead leaves, and the loppings from trees and shrubs.[160]
As a matter of fact, out of ninety towns with which I communicated on this subject only thirteen of them directed the removal of both trade and garden refuse without any special extra payment being made by the householder, and this is only done when these materials are placed in the ordinary dustbin or ashpit attached to a house. Several towns, however, it appears remove such materials on special payments being made of sums varying from 1s.6d.to 3s.per load.
Disputes frequently arise between the men employed in scavenging and the householder on these vexed questions as to the difference between house, trade or garden refuse: a dispute often raised by the scavengers themselves, in the hope of obtaining a gratuity or reward for the clearance of a dustbin, which no doubt, legally, they are perfectly justified in refusing to empty; and in order to lessen the chance of such disputes and to attempt to settle this question, the following suggestions may be of value.
It would no doubt be vexatious if any sanitary authority were to absolutely refuse to remove the “garden” refuse from those houses to which a small flower garden was attached, whilst it would on the contrary be an unfair tax upon the general community if the refuse of large gardens was removed without payment. A good rule would therefore be to remove only suchgardenrefuse as was contained in the ordinary dustbin or ashpit attached to a house, and that as the removal of any kind oftraderefuse would no doubt lead to abuses if done gratuitously by the sanitary authority, that this material should only be removed on payment of some sum, which should be previously fixed by the local authority, and each case should be reported to the officer superintending the work before it was removed.
The next question is the important one of the manner and place in which house refuse shall be temporarily stored pending the visit of the scavenger.
The Public Health Act of 1875 enacts that: “Every local authority shall provide that all drains, waterclosets, earthclosets, privies,ashpits, and cesspools within their district be constructed and kept so as not to be a nuisance or injurious to health” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 40).
And section 35 of the above Act states, “It shall not be lawful newly to erect any house or to rebuild any house pulled down to or below the ground floor without a sufficient watercloset, earth closet, privy, and anashpitfurnished with properdoors and coverings. Any person who causes any house to be erected or rebuilt in contravention of this enactment shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 35).
The same Act also gives power to local authorities to enforce provision of ashpit accommodation for houses where such accommodation does not already exist, and to frame byelaws with respect to ashpits.
There can be no doubt that the position of the dustbin or ashpit, as regards its site with reference to the main dwelling-house, is of primary sanitary importance, for if the garbage and domestic accumulations therein are allowed to remain for a few days, especially when the weather is close, damp, and warm, they become very offensive, and the emanations therefrom may even be highly deleterious and dangerous to health; this effect is aggravated by persons emptying vegetable refuse and other matters which arewetinto the dustbin, as decomposition of these matters is greatly assisted by this addition, and it would be well that all such matters should be burnt on the kitchen or scullery fire along with a large percentage of the ashes which could be sifted and saved from those which too readily find their way into the dustbin, and are thus wasted. Care would of course have to be taken in this process that no smell or nuisance was caused by the process of burning.
It is open to considerable doubt if the fixed dustbin or ashpit is the best or most sanitary receptacle for the house refuse; they may be necessary and suitable for Public Institutions, or for large isolated private dwellings, or for schools or any places where excessive quantities of refuse may accumulate, but where this refuse is systematically and properly removed by the order of the local authority, at such times and in such manner as will be hereafter pointed out, moveable or portable dustbins, boxes or baskets are far preferable to the large immoveable, inconvenient fixed ashpit, recommended and enforced under the Act.
The next point to consider is that of the collection of the house refuse, which should be effected satisfactorily, economically and expeditiously.
The following are the three methods by which this is attempted:
(1.) By a house to house call at intermittent periods.
(2.) By the scavengers giving notice of their approach by ringing a bell or by other signal, and requiring the householder to bring out the refuse to the cart.
(3.) By placing public dustbins in different localities, and expecting householders in their vicinity to place the house refuse in these dustbins, which are then cleared from time to time by the local authority.
Experience alone can teach which of these is the best method to adopt in any district, and it is usually found that some modification of all three is necessary.
It is, however, difficult sometimes to adopt public dustbins not only on account of their first cost, but from the objections raised by the occupiers of adjacent houses to their being fixed in their neighbourhood.
If these dustbins were constructed with properly balanced self-closing lids, these objections might be overcome, and their first cost would be but trifling when compared with the benefit to be derived by placing them in some of the thickly populated courts and alleys which are unfortunately to be found in nearly every town. Where there are no public dustbins the inhabitants of these courts throw their waste products upon the surface of the streets or courts, from time to time throughout the day, as it cannot be expected nor desired that such materials should remain, even for twenty-four hours, in their one living room, which is frequently over crowded, and has but little spare space even for the common necessities of life; but that these waste products should be thus strewn over the surface of the street or court is almost equally objectionable, and points to the advantage to be gained by placing in convenientsituations covered dustbins which could be easily emptied once a day.
Undoubtedly the best method for the removal of refuse is the house to house call, but except in suburban districts and for the collection of refuse from the better class of dwelling-houses and public institutions, the expense, delay and difficulty which would be incurred in calling at every house throughout a town, would make it almost impracticable, and consequently this system is universally combined with that which is known as the bell or signal system, which simply means that the scavenging cart in going its rounds has a bell attached to it, or the horse, which bell rings automatically as the cart proceeds on its way; or the man in charge blows a trumpet, or calls in stentorian tones, “Dust oh!” On hearing this signal,but not before, the householder is expected to bring out the refuse in some convenient receptacle, which is then emptied into the cart by the scavenger.
As a matter of fact, the receptacles containing all the waste products of these householders are brought out and are placed in the gutter of the street close to the kerb, long before the cart makes its appearance or can be reasonably expected to do so.
The result of these (generally inappropriate) receptacles filled with heterogenous collections of house refuse being left unprotected in the public streets, is that their contents are quickly strewn about the surface of the street, by their being upset accidentally, or purposely, and the appearance of the street, which has probably been carefully swept and garnished during the night or early in the morning, quickly assumes, especially in a high wind, a very offensive character, and probably has to be entirely re-swept and cleansed before the ordinary traffic of the day commences.
To obviate this evil I must refer my readers to a small book on the subject of scavenging, entitled ‘Dirty Dustbins and Sloppy Streets,’ published by Messrs. Spon & Co., written bymyself, in which I have suggested moveable iron cylinders being placed in the streets for the reception of the house refuse.
The “house to house” call system in the suburbs of a town may be greatly assisted by a very simple remedy, which has already been tried in some towns with considerable success. It consists in the householder placing a card bearing the letter D, or some other distinguishing mark, in a conspicuous place in a window, when the services of the scavengers are required; these cards should be printed and circulated by the Sanitary Authority of the district, who should state on the back of the card the days on which the scavengers would visit each neighbourhood, with the approximate hour of the day in which they would appear, in order that the householder may not be unnecessarily inconvenienced by being obliged to keep the card for any length of time in his window.
The scavengers in passing observe the signal, and call at the house; otherwise they pass on, unless specially called in by the occupants, thus avoiding any unnecessary delay in their rounds.
A visit from the scavengers either before seven or after ten in the morning is generally very inconvenient for households of a superior class, and should be, if possible, carefully avoided by the sanitary authority.
The cart usually employed for scavenging is that known as the ordinary “tip cart,” strongly, if not clumsily, constructed of an oak frame, with elm or deal sides of considerable height; it holds about a couple of cubic yards of material, and costs from sixteen to twenty pounds.
These carts are not only clumsy and heavy, but they give an overweighted diminutive appearance to the horse between the shafts, especially as the quality of horses employed for work of this character is frequently none of the best. The height, too, of the cart is often so great as to necessitate the use of a short ladder, up which the scavenger has to climb, the result being a shower of dust when it is being loaded with houserefuse, and spatterings of mud, when it is being used as a slop cart.
It is difficult also to effectually cover a cart of this description. The imperfect mode at present adopted is to cover it with a tarpaulin, which is tied down as tightly as the circumstances of the case will admit, but which as a rule does not effectually answer the purpose for which it is intended. In towns where the house refuse is not collected separately from the road scrapings, a judicious mixture of the two in the cart considerably assists in preventing any mud from splashing over or the dust from blowing about.
The employment of wooden carts for this work is bad economy, their rough usage, and the mode adopted for emptying them by “tipping,” renders their life a short one; a cart in constant work frequently costs from 4l.to 5l.per annum in repairs, and having but little of the original material of which it was constructed left in it at the end of six years. They are also difficult to cleanse or disinfect.
With a view to obviate these and other objections, several improved carts and waggons have been introduced by different makers, who have styled them by a variety of names. Amongst others they are called dust carts, general purpose carts, sanitary carts, slush carts, tumbler carts, mud waggons, tip waggons, slop waggons, &c. These are constructed with iron bodies fixed upon wooden frames and wheels; they are of various forms and designs, the principal objects aimed at being lightness of construction combined with strength, so balanced as to bear with a minimum of weight upon the horse; economy in their cost has not been lost sight of, and they are usually provided with some special means for emptying, either by being tipped by a chain and windlass, or by some mechanical arrangement of the tailboard; they are built very low upon their axles, so as to be easily filled, are either completely covered over with a moveable lid, or are fitted with hinged side boards, so as to prevent any splashing over of their contents, and as they arenearly all constructed with iron; they are easily cleansed and disinfected whenever it is thought necessary to do so.
With reference to the important question of the ultimate disposal of house refuse, street sweepings &c., no rules can be laid down, as so much depends upon the position of every town and the character of the district in which it is situated, as the following replies to some questions which I addressed to several English towns will show.
In many towns it is stated that the whole of the refuse is used by brick makers, in others it is simply “tipped to waste.” In one case the answer is, “Sold by auction twice a year,” but to whom it is sold, and for what purpose, does not transpire. In some towns it appears to be mixed with lime and used as manure upon the fields, and in others it is mixed with the sludge of the sewage farms, and is then ploughed or dug into the soil of the farm. This seems a better plan than that of another town, where it is “given or thrown away,” although the difficulty of disposing of the old iron, tins, &c., is not touched upon in any of the foregoing answers. The next reply states that “it is riddled, and the cinders and vegetable refuse are burnt to generate steam, the fine dust is used with the manure manufactory (tub system), the old iron is sold, and the pots, &c., used for the foundations of roads.” In one case the whole of the refuse is taken out to sea in hopper barges, and sunk in deep water.[161]In a great number of towns it is sold by tender for the year, but what eventually becomes of it does not transpire. But the most favoured methods, where it cannot be sold as manure to farmers, seem to be either that of carting it away to some spot outside the town, and there using it for the purpose of filling up hollows and depressions, or that of giving or selling it to brick-makers.
The practice of filling up hollow places with such materials cannot be too strongly deprecated if there is anychance of dwelling houses being erected on them, as the unsanitary condition of sites thus formed has been frequently demonstrated.
Where towns are unable to dispose of their refuse by sale to farmers or market gardeners, the best method, and one which is gaining in popularity every day, is that of its destruction by fire.
With this object in view a Mr Fryer has invented an apparatus which he styles a “Patent Carboniser, for the conversion of garbage, street, and market sweepings, also other vegetable refuse, into charcoal.” This apparatus consists of a structure somewhat resembling, externally, a brick kiln. It is divided into hopper-shaped compartments, which at the bottom are furnished with a furnace, fitted with a reverberatory arch. A fire is lighted in this furnace, the necessary combustion being obtained, and the heat maintained, by burning the cinders, which are sifted out of the house refuse for this purpose. All the street sweepings, refuse, garbage, &c., is then thrown in at the top of the kiln, and it is there and then completely destroyed by the action of the fire, and converted into charcoal, which is withdrawn through a sliding door fixed at the bottom of the kiln.[162]