The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-17 00:00:00

CITY COMMISSION OF SEWERS.

Yesterday, at a meeting of the City Commis-
sioners of Sewers, held at Guildhall, Mr. De Jersey
in the chair, their attention was pointedly called
by Mr. Green, a member of the court, to a commu-
nication addressed to them by Mr. Pontifex, clerk
to the guardians of the West London Union, touch-
ing the sanitary condition of Holborn-buildings,
and with a request by the guardians that the
matter might have the earnest and immediate at-
tention of the court. The communication was
founded upon a report by Dr. Reed, the medical
officer of the union, made on the 27th of August,
and which entered in detail into the filthy condi-
tion of the houses there, fourteen in number,
arising from the bad state of the drains and
waterclosets, and the accumulation of filth in the
cellars, beneath staircases, and in all manner of out-
of-the-way places in the general absence of dust
bins.

Mr. GREEN suggested the necessity for a more
regular and efficient supervision of plt.ces of this
description by the inspectors of the commission,
even should that call for an increase in their number.

The CHAIRMAN said his attention had lately been
called to the complaints of the locality in question
and others in the neighbourhood of Farringdon-
market, and he had put himself in communication
with the inspectors, the result going to convince
him that they had not altogether neglected their
duty, and that the state of Holborn-buildings, Ely-
court, and White Lion-court, was referable to the
incurably filthy habits of the people who inhabited
the houses there, and who were mostly the lowest
class of Irish. They had no regard for public
decency, and no sooner were any of the houses I
cleansed or limewashed than they began to relapse
into the same dirty condition. He complained that
the guardians of the West London Union had in
this matter not acted in a way as if they desired to
co-operate with the commissioners in preserving the
public health. They and their medical officers knew
that the commission had an office at which com-
plaints relating to sanitary matters might be lodged
and remedy speedily applied, but instead of avail-
ing themselves of it in this case they had had re-
course to a step calculated needlessly to alarm the
public mind.

Dr. LETHEBY said he was satisfied these com-
plaints of the guardians were due to a misconcep
tion on their part as to the great amount of work
which devolved on the medical officers of health and
the inspectors of the commission. There were 13,000
houses and more in the City of London, all of
which were practically under the supervision of
the commission. They did not consider it neces-
sary to make any inspection of the better class of
houses, except under peculiar circumstances,
which seldom occurred; but, excluding them from
consideration, there were upwards of 6,620
houses under regular inspection, including those
occupied by the better class of the poor, which
were officially visited every three or four months,
unless when an epidemic disease broke out, and
then there was an immediate inspection, and those
used as common lodging-houses, which were regu-
larly inspected at least once in three weeks, and
made the subjects of weekly reports to the commis-
sioners. He saw no means of dealing with the evils
complained of except by increasing the staff of in-
spectors, and having a second medical officer; but
he would hesitate to adopt that remedy, because he
did not believe the condition of the public health
demanded it, seeing that there was now a higher
general state of health than there had been during
the corresponding period of the last six years.
Dr. ABRAHAM urged that in matters of this kind
the commissioners of sewers and the guardians
would do well to co-operate in the public interest,
seeing that the latter employed a medical staff for
the treatment of sickness and disease, much of which
would be found to be remediable by the exercise of
powers vested in the commissioners. He believed,
by a little mutual assistance and co-operation be-
tween the two, the sanitary condition of the City
might be brought into a much more satisfactory
state than it was now. Both of them existed for
the public benefit, and were entrusted with the ex-
penditure of public rates, and each should assist the
other in the performance of its duties. He moved
that the subject be referred for consideration to the
general purposes committee, with power to confer
with the several boards of guardians, and report
the result.
At the instance of IVlr.Deputy "car
IDE, a re-
port London Union
HITESe
eotf
that t he
on
ni tyt
hlef2d of June last
was read o f a, ct oo mt mh
ei t
et
effect
there were large accumulations of filth of all kinds
in the houses in White Lion-court, particularly in
the basement stories, and that a person who had
lived in one of the houses there for the last eight
years said he could not recollect that an inspector
had ever seen her house, and she pointed to a large
heap of filth which had been accumulating for a
long period.
The subject gave rise to same further discussion,
resulting in the adoption of Dr. Abraham's motion.
Mr. Deputy w
HITESIDE presented
memorial
unanimously the parish of
signed by inhabitants of
St. Catherine cchurchwardens
and overseers
tree, including the
'
overseers, stating that for some time past pre-
tended auctions
for the sale of goods had been con-
ducted, at a place in Ald
gate, in such a manner as
to be a public nuisance
to the neighbouring inhabi-
tants, and to the street passengers, by reason of the
riotous behaviour of the people
in attendance on or
connected with them. The memorialists prayed
that the commission would take the necessary steps
for the suppression of the alleged
nuisance.
Dr. LETIIEBY, the medical officer of health for
the City of London, reported on the state of 317
houses that had been inspected since the last meet-

-
ing of the court. He likewise reported that 386
visits had been made to the common lodging houses
of the City ; and he submitted a list of 186
Places for sanitary improvement. The markets and
slaughter-houses of the City had been duly in-
spected, and the officers had seized 17,549 lb. of
meat, and 852 head of game and poultry, as unfit
for human food ; 12,005 lb. were diseased, 3,667 lb.
Were putrid, and 1,877 lb. ;were from animals that
lit7iFdiertiirm naturarcaises.—lt consisted of 49