124 "^^^ Essentials of House Sanitation — 



to find, when even the best houses are inspected, how constantly 

 the drains are defective. It is almost an exception to find 

 things right, and that even in new houses in the best parts of 

 Belfast. 



Mr. Conway Scott — I have listened with great pleasure to 

 Mr. Gray's address. Although I agree with a great deal of 

 what he said, he seems to forget that there are such people in 

 the world as indignant ratepayers, and if we carried out all his 

 suggestions I am afraid the ratepayers would be up in arms. 

 As your governing body are elected by the people, they must 

 act according to the wishes of the people who elect them. 

 Mr. Gray has mentioned back passages ; that whole question 

 was before the Corporation fifteen years, but it was only last 

 year that it took any practical form. After all, these things 

 cannot be done without £ s. d., and as soon as the ratepayers 

 of Belfast are willing to have all that Mr. Gray wishes done, I 

 am certain that the authorities will not stand in the way, but 

 say go on and prosper. The difficulty is the increased taxation. 

 Dr. Lindsay made some remarks, which I agree with, about 

 flushing cisterns. A two-gallon cistern is insufficient, but the 

 bye-laws of the Corporation and the Water Commissioners 

 permit them. The authorities are not to blame in the matter, 

 as they had not sufficient water at the time these bye-laws were 

 made to justify their saying " we will have only three or four- 

 gallon cisterns" ; and no sanitary officer can go beyond the law 

 even to meet the requirements of Mr. Gray. Regarding Dr. 

 Lindsay's remarks concerning the inspection of houses, if every 

 ratepayer wishes to have his house tested once a month it 

 would require an army of inspectors. At present any ratepayer 

 within the city can have his house examined by sending a post 

 card, and I do not think the Sanitary Authorities can go any 

 further at present. As to Mr. Gray's remarks about traps, I 

 don't know that Mr. Gray's new trap is very much of an im- 

 provement. He seemed to have the idea that nothing goes 

 into the drains except water. Everything has been taken out 

 of the Belfast sewer, from a child to old clothes. The careless 



