Thus the Medical Officer of Health for St. James’, Westminster, wrote (1871–2):—
“Sewers and drains being out of sight admit of a great amount of ‘scamping’ work.
“Speaking from experience, some of the local sewers in St. James’ are specimens, I hope unique, of the extent to which ‘scamping’ can be carried.”
And the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch wrote (1878) that:—
“Some of the new drains (being so badly laid) are more dangerous than the old.”
The arrangements for water supply were also in some few parishes, in process of years, being slowly improved.
In Lambeth, in 1872, 646 houses without proper water supply were provided with it; and in 1873, 804 houses.
Read one way, this was satisfactory. Read the other, it was a revelation of the number of houses in Lambeth which had been left until 1873 without that great essential of health—a “proper water supply.”
A large amount of street paving had been done, and a few small street improvements had been carried out.