[193]If there is any truth in the “germ theory” of disease, how dangerous must be the practice of open sewer ventilation, a waft of foul air from a sewer carrying with it a germ, and the unsuspecting passer-by is inoculated just as surely as if he had handled or been near the excrements of the diseased person whose evacuations have been passed into the public sewer.[194]The important city of Bristol has no system of sewer ventilation, and yet the death rate of the city, which is by no means specially healthily situated, has not been abnormally high up to this year (1883).[195]For further information upon my system for the annihilation of sewer gases, I must refer my readers to a pamphlet written by myself in 1880, entitled ‘Sewer Ventilation, or a New and Improved System for the disposal of the Noxious Gases generated in Sewers and Drains,’ and also to a paper I read on this subject at the meeting of the Sanitary Institute of Great Britain, held in Exeter in the year 1881.
[193]If there is any truth in the “germ theory” of disease, how dangerous must be the practice of open sewer ventilation, a waft of foul air from a sewer carrying with it a germ, and the unsuspecting passer-by is inoculated just as surely as if he had handled or been near the excrements of the diseased person whose evacuations have been passed into the public sewer.
[194]The important city of Bristol has no system of sewer ventilation, and yet the death rate of the city, which is by no means specially healthily situated, has not been abnormally high up to this year (1883).
[195]For further information upon my system for the annihilation of sewer gases, I must refer my readers to a pamphlet written by myself in 1880, entitled ‘Sewer Ventilation, or a New and Improved System for the disposal of the Noxious Gases generated in Sewers and Drains,’ and also to a paper I read on this subject at the meeting of the Sanitary Institute of Great Britain, held in Exeter in the year 1881.
In almost every town in the United Kingdom public urinals are now erected, although it is not often that good watercloset accommodation is provided, except at hotels and railway stations, over which the local authority have no jurisdiction; or perhaps if they do provide any accommodation of this description it is only in connection with the public parks or in the markets, museums, &c.
The clause of the Public Health Act which empowers an urban authority to spend money out of the district rates for this purpose is as follows:
“Any urban authority may if they think fit provide and maintain in proper and convenient situations, urinals, waterclosets, earthclosets, privies and ashpits and other similar conveniences for public accommodation” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 39).
It is not my intention to enter into the merits or otherwise of the many descriptions of urinals and latrines that have been brought to the notice from time to time of every town surveyor by enterprising manufacturers and patentees, but only to give a few suggestions upon the subject.
Public urinals ought to be erected by the urban authority as a matter of convenience to the peripatetic portion of any community, and also to prevent nuisances being committed in improper places.
In selecting sites for urinals the town surveyor must take care that after erection they shall not be offensive or a nuisance to any persons living in the vicinity, and that they shall be so placed that although they may beeasily found, the persons using them shall be effectually screened.[196]
Urinals are better constructed of iron rather than of brickwork or more solid workmanship, in order that they can be readily removed. It is surprising what an uproar is sometimes raised in a neighbourhood by the erection of a urinal; this clamour occasionally has so much effect upon the urban authority that they order the removal of the urinal, although it may not have been erected many days, and if it has been substantially built a considerable waste of the public money is thus involved.
Where a urinal is constructed with basins, as by the following plan, the basins may be of iron or good stone ware or similar construction, these being always kept full of water which is constantly although slowly changing.
Urinal
Stall urinals may be some modification of the following plan, and be constructed of iron with slate partitions, or thepartitions may be of iron covered with plate glass where soiled, the stalls should not be less than 24 in. in the clear, and water must be kept constantly flowing over the soiled portion either from a perforated pipe or a spreader.[197]A very excellent arrangement is to have a trench or trough cut at the foot of the stall for the whole length of the urinal, which is kept constantly full of water and occasionally flushed, thus avoiding nuisance in a very satisfactory manner.
Urinal
Provision must of course be made to efficiently drain and light all public urinals, and arrangements should be made by which they can be thoroughly washed once or twice a day, so as to keep every part scrupulously clean. Urine after a very short exposure exhales a most fœtid and unpleasant odour, from the decomposition of its nitrogenous matter. Carbolic acid, chloride of lime, sanitas, or other disinfectant should also be used, especially in warm weather.
If the interior of a public urinal or latrine has to be painted a light colour, it is well to mix a little sand with the paint, so as to prevent as much as possible that literature and art which so often disfigures establishments of this description. An excellent composition with which to treat urinals, although it is of a somewhat dark tint, is a mixture of common coal tar and naphtha, which not only gives a clean and polished appearance to the place, but is also an excellent deodorant and disinfectant.
With regard to public W.C. accommodation, this, as I have before stated, is not very often provided by an urban authority,[198]although common public latrines are sometimes erected. These are generally used by rather rough persons, and should be constructed in a strong and simple manner.
For this purpose stoneware bowls or basins placed over a drain and fitting into ordinary right-angled junctions placedvertically are simple and effective as well as very economical in construction. Slate, iron, or wood seats may be placed on these basins, which should be kept half full of water. A periodical and sudden flush which carries the whole contents into the nearest sewer can be arranged for so as to work automatically by the introduction of a cistern and one of Mr. Roger Field’s flush syphons at the upper end of the system.
For further information on the subject of urinals, waterclosets, latrines, and all similar subjects, let the town surveyor refer to Mr. George Jennings or Messrs. Macfarlane, who have an endless variety of designs and appliances in connection with such matters.
[196]The urban authority have an absolute discretion as to the sites they select. They cannot, however, erect public conveniences so as thereby to cause a nuisance, even though the convenience is wanted and the locality chosen suitable. (Vide‘Public Health and Local Government Act,’ by F. V. Fitzgerald, 3rd edition, p. 33.)[197]The quantity of water usually required to each stall when kept constantly running is about half a gallon per minute.[198]For an excellent specimen of such public accommodation, that at Liverpool near the St. George’s Hall should be inspected.
[196]The urban authority have an absolute discretion as to the sites they select. They cannot, however, erect public conveniences so as thereby to cause a nuisance, even though the convenience is wanted and the locality chosen suitable. (Vide‘Public Health and Local Government Act,’ by F. V. Fitzgerald, 3rd edition, p. 33.)
[197]The quantity of water usually required to each stall when kept constantly running is about half a gallon per minute.
[198]For an excellent specimen of such public accommodation, that at Liverpool near the St. George’s Hall should be inspected.
The Artizans and Labourers’ Dwellings Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vic. c. 130) was in effect incorporated in the Public Health Act 1875 so that “every urban authority shall within their district, . . . have, exercise and be subject to all the powers, rights, duties, capacities, liabilities, and obligations within such district exercisable or attaching by and to the local authority” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 10).
The mode of procedure is as follows:
Where the “officer of health”[199]finds any premises in a condition or state dangerous to health so as to be unfit for human habitation, he shall report the same in writing to the clerk of the local authority. The local authority must then refer such report to a surveyor or engineer,[200]who shall thereupon consider the report so furnished to him, and report to the local authority what is the cause of the evil so reported on, and if such evil is occasioned by defects in any premises, whether the same can be remedied by structural alterations and improvements or otherwise, or whether such premises or any or what part thereof ought to be demolished (31 & 32 Vic. c. 130, s. 6).
Upon the receipt of this report from the surveyor the local authority sends copies to the owner of the premises, giving him opportunities of attending before them and of appealing against the report, and if his objections are overruled,a plan and specification of the works (if any) and an estimate of the cost of such works, must be prepared by the surveyor, and these in turn may be inspected by the owner and objected to by him in writing, and he may also attend before the local authority, and if he makes good his objections the local authority may direct the plan, specification and estimate to be amended, and the works would then be executed in accordance with the amended plans, &c. (31 & 32 Vic. c. 130, s. 8).
Persons who are aggrieved by any order of the local authority may appeal against it, but failing this, if the owner does not within two months diligently proceed with and complete the same in conformity with the specification to the satisfaction of the surveyor, the local authority may either order the premises to be shut up, or to be demolished, or may themselves execute the required works in conformity with the specification (31 & 32 Vic. c. 130, s. 18).
If the requirements of the order involve the total demolition and not the improvement of the premises, the owner shall within three months proceed to take down and remove them, and if he fail to do so, then the local authority may pull down and recoup the expenses by a sale of the old material (31 & 32 Vic. c. 130, s. 20).
The above Act was amended in 1879 by the “Artizans and Labourers’ Dwellings Act (1868) Amendment Act 1879” (42 & 43 Vic. c. 64), the most important clause affecting the action of the town surveyor being as follows:
“Notwithstanding anything in the Act of 1868, the owner of any premises specified in an order of the local authority made under that Act, and requiring him to execute any works or to demolish such premises, may within three months after service on him of the order, require the local authority in writing to purchase such premises” (42 & 43 Vic. c. 64, s. 5).
The amount of compensation to be paid to the owner is to be settled by arbitration if no agreement can be arrived at,such arbitration to be carried out in a manner provided for by certain clauses in this Amendment Act 1879.
Sec. 9 of the same Act also provides for the repayment (by sale of old materials, &c.) of the cost incurred by the local authority in executing any works under the Acts.
This Act has again been amended quite recently (August 1882) by “An Act to Amend the Artizans and Labourers’ Dwellings Acts” (45 & 46 Vic. c. 54), the most important clause affecting the working of this Act being as follows:
(1.) “If in any place to which the Artizans and Labourers’ Dwellings Act 1868 applies the officer of health finds that any building, although not in itself unfit for human habitation, is so situate that by reason of its proximity to or contact with any other building it causes one of the following effects, that is to say:
“(1.) It stops ventilation or otherwise makes or conduces to make such other buildings to be in a condition unfit for human habitation; or
“(2.) It prevents proper measures from being carried into effect for remedying the evils complained of in respect of such other buildings,
in any such case the officer of health shall make a report to the local authority in writing of the particulars relating to such first-mentioned building (in this Act referred to as ‘an obstructive building’) stating that in his opinion it is expedient that the obstructive building should be pulled down, and shall deliver the report to the clerk of the local authority.
“(2.) The local authority shall refer such report to a surveyor or engineer to report thereon, and to report as to the cost of acquiring the lands on which such obstructive building is erected, and of pulling down such building.”
The local authority then consider the reports of the officer of health and of the surveyor, and proceed to give copies to the owner of the lands in question, who has liberty of appeal,&c., as before given in the Act 1868. The lands may be acquired by the local authority by agreement or compulsorily under the Lands Clauses Consolidation Acts, and the obstructive building, “or such part thereof as may be obstructive,” may be pulled “down, and the whole site, or such part thereof as may be required to be kept open for the purpose of remedying the evils” kept as an open space.
The owner of the land may, by giving due notice, declare that “he desires to retain the site of the obstructive building, and undertake either to pull down or to permit the local authority to pull down, the obstructive building,” in which case he retains the site, and is compensated only for the building.
These recent amendments to the old Act of 1868 are of the greatest importance, for they aim at the easy improvement of courts and alleys, by opening them where houses have been erected across the entrance, in some cases depriving the courts and alleys of light and air, and leaving only a small covered archway through which the occupants can enter.
The Act has only too recently become law for me to give any particulars with regard to its working, but it appears to be a most valuable sanitary Act.
Prior to these amendments of the Act 1868, it was felt that it dealt only with isolated buildings, and consequently, in order to improve large areas, the “Act for Facilitating the Improvement of the Dwellings of the Working Classes in Large Towns” was passed in 1875 (38 & 39 Vic. c. 36), since which date, like the Act 1868, it has been twice amended, once in 1879 (42 & 43 Vic. c. 63), and again in 1882 (45 & 46 Vic. c. 54).
The object of the Act of 1875 was to facilitate the removal of portions of towns, especially of the courts and alleys in the poorer and more densely-populated parts.
The Act is to be put in force where an official representation is made by the medical officer of health to the localauthority of an urban sanitary district (which must contain a population of at least 25,000) that “any houses, courts, or alleys within a certain area” are “unfit for human habitation, or that diseases indicating a generally low condition of health amongst the population have been from time to time prevalent in a certain area,” and that this is attributable to the bad arrangement or bad condition of the streets and houses, or “other sanitary defects,” which can only be remedied by “an improvement scheme for the rearrangement and reconstruction of the streets or houses” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 36, s. 3).
The improvement scheme to be prepared on receipt of this report by the local authority must be accompanied by “maps, particulars, and estimates” (no doubt these must be prepared by the surveyor, although no mention is made as to who shall prepare them), and this scheme may “provide for widening any existing approaches to the unhealthy area, or otherwise for opening out the same for the purposes of ventilation or health.” It must distinguish “the lands proposed to be taken compulsorily,” and by the Act 1875 it was necessary to “provide for the accommodation of at the least as many persons of the working class as may be displaced in the area with respect to which the scheme is proposed in suitable dwellings, which, unless there are any special reasons to the contrary, shall be situate within the limits of the same area or in the vicinity thereof” (sec. 5).
So much practical difficulty was experienced in carrying this latter part of the clause into effect, that in 1879 a short Act was passed (42 & 43 Vic. c. 63), which by the 4th section amended that part of the original clause as to the provision of accommodation for the working classes as follows:
“Where it is proved to the satisfaction of the confirming authority . . . . that equally convenient accommodation can be provided . . . . at some place other than within the area or the immediate vicinity . . . . and it is also proved to thesatisfaction of such authority that the required accommodation has been or is about to be forthwith provided.” The confirming authority may be satisfied with such provision, and for this purpose the local authority may make use of any lands belonging to them, or purchase any that are suitable (42 & 43 Vic. c. 63, s. 4).
This part of the Act has again been amended in the year 1882 by 45 & 46 Vic. c. 54, which in section 3 enacts as follows:
“. . . . and where any such improvement scheme comprises an area situate elsewhere than in the metropolis or the City of London, it shall, if the confirming authority so require (but it shall not otherwise be obligatory on the local authority so to frame their scheme), provide for the accommodation of such number of those persons of the working class displaced in the area with respect to which the scheme is proposed in suitable dwellings to be erected in such place or places either within or without the limits of the same area as the said authority, on a report made by the officer conducting the local enquiry, may require . . . .”
Having thus far given themodus operandiunder which the Act has to be enforced, it is necessary to see what are some of the town surveyor’s duties in connection therewith.
First, there are the “maps, particulars, and estimates” which have to be prepared, and theseinvolve—
(a.) Accurate surveys of the area;
(b.) A reference of all the properties included:
(c.) A census of the population of the area;
(d.) A valuation of all the properties;
(e.) A plan of the proposed new streets, &c.
(f.) An estimate of the cost of the whole work.
In addition to this it is necessary for the local authority to “impose suitable conditions and restrictions as to the elevation, size, and design of the houses and the extent of the accommodation to be afforded thereby, and to make due provisionfor the maintenance of proper sanitary arrangements,” and this naturally involves detailed drawings of the buildings to be erected.
In the same clause (38 & 39 Vic. c. 36, s. 9) it is stated that the local authority may engage with any society, &c., to carry the whole or any part of the scheme into effect, but “the local authority shall not themselves, without the express approval of the confirming authority, undertake the rebuilding of the houses or the execution of any part of the scheme, except that they may take down any or all of the buildings upon the area, and clear the whole or any part thereof, and may lay out, form, pave, sewer, and complete” all the necessary streets, &c., which shall thenceforth be public streets repairable by the inhabitants at large.
It is scarcely necessary to say that the enforcement of this Act involves a considerable expenditure of work and time in the office of the town surveyor.
The buildings which are erected on the sites dealt with under this Act are generally of the “high block” class, as it is found that the labouring man prefers to live near his work, and land is generally too expensive in such localities to admit of the erection of any other description of buildings.
As to whether this class of dwelling is as healthy as ordinary cottages or houses, the following death-rates for the year 1879 will be some guide:
It is of course necessary that the sanitary arrangements of industrial dwellings of the block type should be very perfect, and as to the manner in which they should be erected thefollowing words of Mr. John Price, who for twelve years had lived in one of them himself, can be here given with advantage:[201]
“Model dwellings are therefore most appreciated by working men when placed near the scene of their daily labour. The arrangements most preferred are those which bring the fewest families or persons in contact with one another on a flat or landing. As a rule the buildings should not exceed four stories in height; the staircases should be about four feet in width, and broken by short landings, lighted by large windows open to the external air; the window-sills should not be less than three feet from the floors for the safety of young children, and for the same reason well staircases should be avoided. The steps of the stairs should only have a 6-inch ‘rise,’ for the more easy accommodation of old people and young children; they should be fire-proof, and well lighted with gas on an evening. There should be a thick layer of deafening between the floors. The waterclosets should be placed in an offshoot from the main building, opening on to each landing, and well ventilated by open windows and air bricks. The watercloset apparatus should be as simple and effective as possible. Patents depending upon the proper working of valves and ball-cocks should be avoided, as the fruitful cause of trouble and expense; little reliance must be placed on their proper use by tenants where more than one family have access to them. I have seen excellent closets stopped up with cloths and all manner of earthenware and hardware, children of careless parents being the principal offenders; what is everybody’s duty is often most neglected. It will be found most economical in large buildings of this class to appoint a person whose duty it should be to attend to the proper flushing of waterclosets daily. I would suggestthat there should be a large cistern under the roof (distinct from the cistern used for domestic purposes), a ³⁄₄-inch feed pipe should lead to each w.c., which should consist of a simple metal or earthenware pan, provided only with a tap, flushing rim, and plug, placed under the seat securely, and under the sole control of the attendant, who, by the necessary daily inspection, would detect any stoppage or injury to the fittings. The expense of such supervision would probably be soon saved in plumbers’ bills. Of course the soil-pipes should be well ventilated above the roof of the building, and all drains and sinks should be properly trapped. The attendant on his daily rounds would also be able to see that these are kept in proper order. The dust-shaft, extending to the full height of the building, should have proper hoppers connected with it to prevent the dust coming from the lower or upper landings; a nuisance sometimes complained of in block dwellings. The washhouses should be placed on the roof or in the yards, fitted with set pots and requisite conveniences. The soft water from the roofs should be stored in tanks for washing and domestic purposes—it will be much appreciated by sensible tenants, and save the water bill greatly.
“The great desiderata of these large blocks of buildings is ample playground for the children, without which they play upon the stairs, and are often the cause of strife amongst neighbours. I know those who have experience in the matter may say that it is more easy to state what is desirable than what is practical. The enhanced value of land in all our large towns precludes any liberal investment on what appears so financially unremunerative as playgrounds, yet they are essential adjuncts wherever there is an infantile population. Mr. Powell, on behalf of the London Trades’ Unions, enumerated before Sir Richard Cross’s Committee certain objections which the working classes of London entertained against the earliest erected blocks of dwellings, amongst which was their barrack-like and uninviting appearance, and also their want ofplaygrounds for children. Recently these defects have been greatly remedied.”
A few words are necessary upon the “Labouring Classes’ Lodging Houses Acts” (14 & 15 Vic. c. 34; 29 & 30 Vic. c. 28; 30 & 31 Vic. c. 28).
The object of these Acts was to empower urban authorities, under certain restrictions and after certain formalities, to appropriate any lands vested in them or at their disposal, or to purchase or rent the necessary lands for the purpose of erecting suitable buildings for lodging-houses for the working classes, or to convert any buildings into lodging-houses, and “repair and improve the same respectively with all requisite furniture, fittings, and conveniences”; and further powers are given in the Acts for the urban authority to contract with persons for different objects, &c.
I am unable to give any experiences of the working of these Acts, for I do not know of any urban authority which has carried them into effect, the Artizans and Labourers’ Dwellings Improvement Acts having virtually superseded them.
The following copy of the bye-laws as sanctioned by the Treasury in 1867 in connection with the Labouring Classes’ Lodging Houses Acts may, however, be of interest, as well as thetableof sizes of rooms which follows:
Separate watercloset accommodation to be provided for each tenement, or else, where watercloset accommodation is to be used in common by the occupants of two or more tenements, separate accommodation must be provided for each sex. Such accommodation may be either watercloset, earthcloset, or privy.
Each tenement to have a dustbin or the use of a dustbin common to several buildings.
Each tenement to be well lighted by external windows made to open.
Each tenement to have ready access to water.
Where several tenements in one building, proper ventilation to be provided for the passages, staircases, &c.
The drains to be well constructed.
Parties to whom moneys to be advanced to enter into covenants with the Public Works Loan Commissioners, that where there are several tenements in one building they
(a.) Will cause the passages, staircases, &c., to be kept clean;
(b.) Will cause the waterclosets, &c., to be kept in good repair;
(c.) Will cause the dustbins to be emptied at intervals of seven days;
(d.) Will take precautions against any interruption in the supply of water;
(e.) Will keep the windows in good order and repair, and the chimneys swept;
(f.) Will keep the drains in proper order;
(g.) Will allow inspection by Commissioner of Works to see that the above covenants are observed.
Number of cubic feet in each room of the several classes of tenements (none of less than two rooms) for which money has been authorised to be advanced:
It may be information valuable to a town surveyor, if before closing this chapter I draw attention to the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act 1882, sec. 3, which gives corporations power to convert any corporate land into sites for working men’s dwellings, although the corporation are not authorised to erect the dwellings thereon.
[199]The term “officer of health,” as respects any urban sanitary district in England, means the medical officer of health appointed by the urban sanitary authority under the Public Health Act 1875 (42 & 43 Vic. c. 64, s. 3).[200]The town surveyor is usually employed for this work.[201]Vide‘Industrial Dwellings from a Sanitary point of View,’ by John Price, Resident Agent, Newcastle-on-Tyne Industrial Dwellings Company, read September 28th, at the Congress of the Institute, held at Newcastle-on-Tyne.
[199]The term “officer of health,” as respects any urban sanitary district in England, means the medical officer of health appointed by the urban sanitary authority under the Public Health Act 1875 (42 & 43 Vic. c. 64, s. 3).
[200]The town surveyor is usually employed for this work.
[201]Vide‘Industrial Dwellings from a Sanitary point of View,’ by John Price, Resident Agent, Newcastle-on-Tyne Industrial Dwellings Company, read September 28th, at the Congress of the Institute, held at Newcastle-on-Tyne.
There are many defects in dwelling-houses with which it is the duty of the sanitary inspector to deal, such as the Bakehouse Regulations Act, offensive trades, nuisances rendering houses unfit for human habitation, &c., but I propose to give in this chapter, in addition to those with which I have already dealt, such subjects under this head as come within the duties of the town surveyor.
The first which I propose to treat is that of the question of
—These are at all times objectionable even if the clauses of the Public Health Act 1875 be strictly carried out, and the surveyor should discourage them as much as possible. Nothing more can be said with reference to them than is contained in the provisions of the above Act, which are as follows:[202]
“It shall not be lawful to let or occupy or suffer to be occupied separately as a dwelling, any cellar (including for the purposes of this Act in that expression any vault or underground room) built or rebuilt after the passing of this Act, or which is not lawfully so let or occupied at the time of the passing of this Act” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 71).
And with regard to existing cellar dwellings they are only to be let or occupied on the followingconditions:—
“Unless the cellar is in every part thereof at leastseven feet in height, measured from the floor to the ceiling thereof, and is at least three feet of its height above the surface of the street or ground adjoining or nearest to the same; and
“Unless there is outside of and adjoining the cellar and extending along the entire frontage thereof, and upwards from six inches below the level of the floor thereof up to the surface of the said street or ground, an open area of at least two feet and six inches wide in every part; and
“Unless the cellar is effectually drained by means of a drain, the uppermost part of which is one foot at least below the level of the floor thereof; and
“Unless there is appurtenant to the cellar the use of a watercloset, earthcloset, or privy, and an ashpit, furnished with proper doors and coverings, according to the provisions of this Act; and
“Unless the cellar has a fireplace with a proper chimney or flue, and an external window of at least nine superficial feet in area clear of the sash frame, and made to open in a manner approved by the surveyor (except in the case of an inner or back cellar let or occupied along with a front cellar as part of the same letting or occupation, in which case the external window may be of any dimensions, not being less than four superficial feet in area clear of the sash frame).
“Provided that in any area adjoining a cellar there may be steps necessary for access to such cellar, if the same be so placed as not to be over, across, or opposite to the said external window, and so as to allow between every part of such steps and the external wall of such cellar a clear space of six inches at the least, and that over or across any such area there may be steps necessary for access to any building above the cellar to which such area adjoins, if the same be so placed as not to be over, across, or opposite to any such external window” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 72).
Where two convictions in respect of the same cellar havetaken place within three months, the local authority may close it, and recover any expenses incurred by them in the execution of this duty (38 & 39 Vic., c. 55, s. 75).
The next defect in a dwelling-house which will be considered is that of
—A new house may not be erected without “a sufficient watercloset, earthcloset,[203]or privy” under a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds[204](38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 35).
And with regard to existing premises:
“If a house within the district of a local authority appears to such authorityby the report of their surveyoror inspector of nuisances to be without a sufficient watercloset, earthcloset, or privy . . . . the local authority shall by written notice require the owner or occupier of the house within a reasonable time therein specified, to provide a sufficient watercloset, earthcloset, or privy . . . . or either of them as the case may require. If such notice is not complied with the local authority may, at the expiration of the time specified in the notice, do the work, provided that where a watercloset, earthcloset, or privy has been and is used in common by the inmates of two or more houses, or if in the opinion of the local authority a watercloset, earthcloset, or privy may be so used, they need not require the same to be provided for each house” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 36).
If the local authority approve, an earthcloset may be constructed instead of a watercloset, but in this case they should make arrangements for the supply of the dry earth and the removal of its contents.
The necessary form of notice to be served in connection with insufficient w.c. accommodation may be as follows:
To the owner of the house No.in the borough of.Whereas the above-mentioned house is situate within the district of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of,the urban sanitary authority for the borough of:And whereas it appears to the said urban sanitary authority that the said house is without a sufficient watercloset, earthcloset, or privy: Now the said urban sanitary authority do hereby require you, the said owner, withinfrom the date of this notice to provide a sufficient watercloset for the use of the inhabitants of the said house. And take notice, that if you do not within the time above specified provide a sufficient watercloset, as aforesaid, to the satisfaction of the said urban sanitary authority, they will themselves, at the expiration of such time, do the necessary work to provide such closet accommodation as aforesaid, and proceed to recover the costs and expenses thereby incurred in manner provided by the Public Health Act 1875.Dated thisof,188 .___________________________________Surveyor to the said Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses.
To the owner of the house No.in the borough of.
Whereas the above-mentioned house is situate within the district of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of,the urban sanitary authority for the borough of:And whereas it appears to the said urban sanitary authority that the said house is without a sufficient watercloset, earthcloset, or privy: Now the said urban sanitary authority do hereby require you, the said owner, withinfrom the date of this notice to provide a sufficient watercloset for the use of the inhabitants of the said house. And take notice, that if you do not within the time above specified provide a sufficient watercloset, as aforesaid, to the satisfaction of the said urban sanitary authority, they will themselves, at the expiration of such time, do the necessary work to provide such closet accommodation as aforesaid, and proceed to recover the costs and expenses thereby incurred in manner provided by the Public Health Act 1875.
Dated thisof,188 .
___________________________________Surveyor to the said Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses.
___________________________________Surveyor to the said Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses.
And where the case demands, the following note may be added below the above notice:
“Note.—The urban sanitary authority may, if they so determine, require a separate watercloset to be provided for each house, or they may permit a watercloset to be used in common by the inmates of two or more houses,[205]but in either case the closet itself must be properly constructed and provided with due means of ventilation. The urban sanitary authoritywill approve of the existing closet accommodation if it is perfected by means of the following works being carried out. (Specification of work required to be done must here be inserted.) The whole of the work to be executed in a workmanlike manner and to my entire approval.“It is, however, to be understood that the above notice requiring the work to be executed within one month will be rigidly enforced; and if at the expiration of that time the work be not completed, the urban sanitary authority will themselves proceed to execute the necessary work to provide proper closet accommodation in such manner as they may deem most advisable, without pledging themselves to the adoption of the method above suggested.”___________________________________Surveyor to the said Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses.
“Note.—The urban sanitary authority may, if they so determine, require a separate watercloset to be provided for each house, or they may permit a watercloset to be used in common by the inmates of two or more houses,[205]but in either case the closet itself must be properly constructed and provided with due means of ventilation. The urban sanitary authoritywill approve of the existing closet accommodation if it is perfected by means of the following works being carried out. (Specification of work required to be done must here be inserted.) The whole of the work to be executed in a workmanlike manner and to my entire approval.
“It is, however, to be understood that the above notice requiring the work to be executed within one month will be rigidly enforced; and if at the expiration of that time the work be not completed, the urban sanitary authority will themselves proceed to execute the necessary work to provide proper closet accommodation in such manner as they may deem most advisable, without pledging themselves to the adoption of the method above suggested.”
___________________________________Surveyor to the said Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses.
___________________________________Surveyor to the said Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses.
With regard to watercloset accommodation for factories, it appears to rest entirely with the town surveyor to draw the attention of the sanitary authority to any case where he considers this is deficient, as by the following clause:
“Where it appears to any local authority by the report of their surveyor that any house is used or intended to be used as a factory or building in which persons of both sexes are employed or intended to be employed at one time in any manufacture, trade, or business, the local authority may, if they think fit, by written notice require the owner or occupier of such house, within the time therein specified, to construct a sufficient number of waterclosets, earthclosets, or privies and ashpits for the separate use of each sex.
“Any person who neglects or refuses to comply with any such notice shall be liable for each default to a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds, and to a further penalty not exceeding forty shillings for every day during which the default is continued” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 38).
In providing closet accommodation which is to be used in common by the occupants of a number of houses, it must beremembered that it should be of the most simple description. Any one acquainted with the working of waterclosets situated in courts and alleys will know how badly they are treated, and into what a fearful state of disrepair and filth they speedily fall, as the great difficulty the sanitary inspector always finds is to have them kept clean; “What is everybody’s business is nobody’s.” And although by clauses 40, 41, 46, &c., of the Public Health Act 1875 persons causing a nuisance can be punished, it is a difficult matter to detect the person in fault, unless of course it is a structural defect, when the owner can be summoned if it is allowed to remain uncured.
For this reason what are known as “Fowler’s closets,” or some modification of this principle, should be adopted in all such localities where earthclosets or some of the dry systems are not in force, as they are without any complicated valve apparatus or anything of the kind.
The last point to consider in this chapter is that ofHouses without a proper supply of water.
“Where onthe report of the surveyorof a local authority it appears that any house is without a proper supply of water, and that such a supply can be furnished at a cost not exceeding that authorised by any local Act, or where there is not any local Act, not exceeding twopence a week, or at such other cost as the Local Government Board may determine, the local authority shall give notice in writing to the owner, requiring him, within a time specified, to obtain such supply, and to do all such works as may be necessary for that purpose,[206]and in default of his doing so may carry out all necessary works themselves for obtaining such supply” (vide38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. lxii.).
It is not very often that a house is found without anysupply of water at all, for if that from the mains is not laid on it is generally found that the house is supplied from a well or from a stand-pipe in a court, or some similar source. If the water is derived from an impure well or other contaminated source, the following clause of the Public Health Act 1875 must be enforced in order to close the well or compel the discontinuance of the polluted supply, when a “proper” supply of water can be enforced in the manner I have described:
“On the representation of any person to any local authority that within their district the water in any well, tank, or cistern, public or private, or supplied from any public pump, and used or likely to be used by man for drinking or domestic purposes, or for manufacturing drinks for the use of man, is so polluted as to be injurious to health, such authority may apply to a court of summary jurisdiction for an order to remedy the same; and thereupon such court shall summon the owner or occupier of the premises to which the well, tank, or cistern belongs if it be private, and in the case of a public well, tank, cistern or pump, any person alleged in the application to be interested in the same, and may either dismiss the application, or may make an order directing the well, tank, cistern, or pump to be permanently or temporarily closed, or the water to be used for certain purposes only, or such other order as may appear to them to be requisite to prevent injury to the health of persons drinking the water.
“The court may, if they see fit, cause the water complained of to be analysed at the cost of the local authority applying to them under this section.
“If the person on whom an order under this section is made fails to comply with the same, the court may, on the application of the local authority, authorise them to do whatever may be necessary in the execution of the order, and any expenses incurred by them may be recovered in a summary manner from the person on whom the order is made.
“Expenses incurred by any rural authority in the execution of this section, and not recovered by them as aforesaid, shall be special expenses” (38 & 39 Vic. c. 55, s. 70).
It is an established fact that wells within a town must always be regarded with some suspicion, and where they exist either publicly or privately the local authority would do well to have the water from them analysed with a view to having them closed. Even cisterns, if not frequently examined and cleansed, will cause the water that is stored in them to become polluted, not only from the dust of the air settling in them and the natural impurities of the water passing through them, but frequently from foreign objects falling into them and decaying, such as rats, mice, cats, and in one case that I know of, a sirloin of beef, and in another a plumber! These remained in the cistern until the colour, smell, and taste of the water drew the attention of the drinkers to “something being the matter!” The cure for the chance of such cases as these is of course the constant supply.