[155] Plans are usually deposited with the surveyor as being the officer who would be most likely to understand them.
[156] Nothing can be more vexatious than the bye-law compelling the party walls of new buildings to be carried up above the roof to at least 12 inches; not only does this frequently spoil the architectural appearance of a building, but it causes great expense in order to keep the wet out: a very difficult thing with a wall treated in this manner.
CHAPTER XIX.
SCAVENGING.
In a great number of towns in this country the town surveyor has charge of the unostentatious, though very necessary sanitary work of the scavenging of the district over which he has charge, and the following are the clauses of the Public Health Act 1875, under which he carries out his duties:
“Every local authority may, and when required by order of the Local Government Board shall, themselves undertake or contract for—
“The removal of house refuse from premises;
“The cleansing of earthclosets, privies, ashpits, and cesspools;
either for the whole or any part of their district: Moreover every urban authority and any rural authority invested by the Local Government Board with the requisite powers may, and when required by the said board shall, themselves undertake or contract for the proper cleansing of streets, and may also themselves undertake or contract for the proper watering of streets for the whole or any part of their district.
“All matters collected by the local authority or contractor in pursuance of this section may be sold or otherwise disposed of, and any profits thus made by an urban authority shall be carried to the account of the fund or rate applicable by them for the general purposes of this Act; and any profits thus made by a rural authority in respect of any contributory place shall be carried to the account of the fund or rate out of which expenses incurred under this section by that authority in such contributory place are defrayed.