§ MR. ANDERSONasked the President of the Local Government Board, If he is aware that a part of Hornsey Sanitary District can not be drained ex- 1847 cept through the Tottenham District, and that, so far, the Tottenham Sanitary Authority has declined to permit this, and that consequently the Hornsey Board has issued notices requiring the construction of eighty-eight cesspools over a small area, and many more would be required; and, whether, in case of such disputes between two local authorities, the Local Government Board has power to interfere; or, if they have not power to do that, if they would, by consent of both, act as arbitrator between them; or, failing these alternatives, whether, in the interest of public health, they will introduce a Bill asking for extended powers?
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEThe estate to which it is presumed that the Question refers is Wright's Park Estate. The Board have not received any official communication on the subject from the owners or occupiers of the houses on that estate, or from the Local Board; but they have been informed generally of the facts. The estate consists of 99 houses; and if these houses had been erected, and the drainage system carried out in accordance with the plans approved by the Local Board, there would have been no difficulty in providing for the sewerage of the houses. About 80 of the houses have been provided with drains; but they have been so laid that the drains are lower than the outfall sewer, and the connections with that sewer are being gradually silted up. The proper drainage of these houses cannot now be effected without re-laying the drains, and this the owners are unwilling to do. As to the remaining houses, they have been erected at such a level that drains cannot be made to discharge into the outfall sewer of the district. The Local Board, with the view of securing some remedy, have required the owners to construct cesspools, this being the only order they could make in the matter; but they have made the requirement in the hope that the owners would re-arrange the drainage, and thus render the construction of the cesspools unnecessary. The Board have reason to believe that all the houses might be drained without the cost of re-laying the house drains if a connection were made with the Tottenham sewers; but they are not aware that, as yet, formal application has been made by the Hornsey Local Board to the Tot- 1848 tenham Local Board, although there have been communications on the subject between the surveyors of the two districts. The Board have reason to believe that the Hornsey Local Board will endeavour to come to some arrangement with the Tottenham Local Board. The Local Boards of the two districts are empowered by the Public Health Act, by agreement, to cause the sewers of the one district to communicate with the sewers of the other. Any dispute as to the terms and conditions on which the communication shall be made may be settled by the Local Government Board. The Board are not aware of any sufficient ground for further legislation on the subject.