HH62/1/BRWICK/7

Transcription

[page] 6

When the run of the water is diverted, which it frequently is for
days at a time, the excreta and other sewage are left exposed, and
cause abominable odours in the immediate vicinity of these cottages.
Four of the cottages on the north side of the public road have privies,
but all the slops and liquid sewage run into the burn before it crosses
the Duns Road. There are two water-closets at Langton Mill farm
house which empty into a cesspool, the overflow of which, with slops,
etc., runs into the burn.
The open ditch has the outcome of 150 water-closets, and must
therefore carry much pollution. If steps are taken to remedy the
evil the question will arise whose duty it is to take the initiative
to compel the authors of the pollution to do what is needful. If
the authors of the pollution do not take the necessary steps to
purify the sewage, is it the County Council as Local Authority, or
the riparian Proprietors, who should institute legal proceedings?
The ditch is too far distant from any house to bring it under the
section as a nuisance injurious to health. If proceedings should be
taken by the County Council they should be under the Rivers Pollu-
tion Prevention Act.
It is much to be desired that reliable statistics of mortality and
sickness of the county should be obtained, and that a tabular state-
ment should be given annually as suggested by the Board of Super-
vision. There are difficulties in the way of getting the information
necessary for filling up the Forms of Returns sent by the Board of
Supervision to the District Medical Officers of Health. To enable
them to do this it is necessary that they should obtain a list of the
annual numbers of deaths and births, which can only be procured
from the local Registrars of Parishes. By the English Act, these
Registrars are bound to afford the information to the District
Medical Officers, but it is not yet so in Scotland. Application must
be made by the Local Authority to the Registrar General for per-
mission to the Local Registrars to give this information and after
this permission has been obtained an application must be made to
the Local Registrars. The Registrar General has given his consent,
but the difficulty now is to make arrangements with the different
Registrars. In this county some of them, as a personal favour,

[page] 7

would be willing to give a certain amount of information, while
others decline to do anything until a general arrangement is come to
as to fees payable and forms of schedules. It is impossible for the
Medical Officer to rely on this uncertain way of getting the neces-
sary information, and until legislation is brought to bear upon this
point nothing can be done which will be of the slightest use, as
statistics, unless correct, are misleading. Most anxious to know
how I might put the District Medical Officers on a plan of getting
information from the Registrars, I put myself in communication
with many County Clerks and Medical Officers, in the hope that
they might suggest something to simplify matters. From one and
all I got answers to the effect that they had failed to get satisfactory
returns from the Registrars, and that in many instances they had
been denied all information, although small fees had been offered.
Such being the state of matters, no reliable tabular statement of
mortality, etc., for the county, can be given for the year 1891. Let
us hope that in the course of a short time, we will be put on the
same footing on this point as some of the large towns, who procure
all necessary information from the Registrar General's Returns.
The Board of Supervision may possibly obtain legal statutory powers
to force Registrars to make regular returns at a moderate fee. This
would put matters on a proper footing, but until this, or some other
plan is adopted, no correct statements can be given.
Where Special Drainage and Water Districts are formed, power
should be given by legislation to include the scavenging of villages
situated in those districts.

ROB. C. MACWATT, M.D.,
County Medical Officer of Health for Berwickshire.