The next question that we have to consider, having thus far discussed the subject of "what is house refuse," is the important one of the manner and place in which it shall be temporarily stored pending the visit of the scavenger. I will begin as I did in the former case by turning to the law on the subject, and find out if it can help us.

Section 40, part III., of the Public Health Act of 1875 enacts that: "Every local authority shall provide that all drains, water-closets, earth-closets, privies, ashpits, and cesspools within their district be constructed and kept so as not to be a nuisance or injurious to health."

And section 35 of the above Act states, "It shall not be lawful newly to erect any house or to rebuild any house pulled down to or below the ground floor without a sufficient water-closet, earth-closet, or privy, and an ashpit furnished with proper doors and coverings. Any person who causes any house to be erected or rebuilt in contravention of this[11] enactment shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds."

The Act also gives power to local authorities to enforce provision of ashpit accommodation for houses where such accommodation does not already exist, and to frame bye-laws with respect to ashpits.

In the year 1877 the Local Government Board issued a series of model bye-laws for the use of sanitary authorities, and No. IV. of this series, which is upon "New Streets and Buildings," contains the following six lengthy clauses, regulating the position of an ashpit with reference to a dwelling-house or public-building, or to any water supply, and for the purpose of removing its contents without carrying them through any dwelling-house, &c.:—

"80. Every person who shall construct an ashpit in connection with a building shall construct such ashpit at a distance of six feet at the least from a dwelling-house or public building, or any building in which any person may be, or may be intended to be employed in any manufacture, trade, or business.

"81. A person who shall construct an ashpit in connexion with a building shall not construct such ashpit within the distance of __ feet from any water supplied for use, or used or likely to be used by[12] man for drinking or domestic purposes, or for manufacturing drinks for the use of man, or otherwise in such a position as to endanger the pollution of any such water.

"82. Every person who shall construct an ashpit in connexion with a building shall construct such ashpit in such a manner and in such a position as to afford ready means of access to such ashpit for the purpose of cleansing such ashpit, and of removing the contents thereof, and, so far as may be practicable, in such a manner and in such a position as to admit of the contents of such ashpit being removed therefrom, and from the premises to which such ashpit may belong, without being carried through any dwelling-house or public building, or any building in which any person may be, or may be intended to be employed in any manufacture, trade, or business.

"83. Every person who shall construct an ashpit in connection with a building shall construct such ashpit of a capacity not exceeding in any case six cubic feet, or of such less capacity as may be sufficient to contain all dust, ashes, rubbish, and dry refuse which may accumulate during a period not exceeding one week upon the premises to which such ashpit may belong.

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"84. Every person who shall construct an ashpit in connection with a building shall construct such ashpit of flagging, or of slate, or of good brickwork, at least nine inches thick, and rendered inside with good cement or properly asphalted.

"He shall construct such ashpit so that the floor thereof shall be at a height of not less than three inches above the surface of the ground adjoining such ashpit, and he shall cause such floor to be properly flagged or asphalted.

"He shall cause such ashpit to be properly roofed over and ventilated, and to be furnished with a suitable door in such a position and so constructed and fitted as to admit of the convenient removal of the contents of such ashpit, and to admit of being securely closed and fastened for the effectual prevention of the escape of any of the contents of such ashpit.

"85. A person who shall construct an ashpit in connexion with a building shall not cause or suffer any part of such ashpit to communicate with any drain."

There can be no doubt that the position of the dustbin or ashpit, as regards its site with reference to the main dwelling-house, is of primary sanitary importance, for if the garbage and domestic accumu[14]lations therein are allowed to remain for a few days, especially when the weather is close, damp, and warm, they become very offensive, and the emanations therefrom may even be highly deleterious and dangerous to health; this effect is aggravated by persons emptying vegetable refuse and other matters which are wet into the dustbin, as decomposition of these matters is greatly assisted by this addition, and it would be well that all such matters should be burnt on the kitchen or scullery fire along with a large percentage of the ashes which could be sifted and saved from those which too readily find their way into the dustbin, and are thus wasted. Care would of course have to be taken in this process that no smell or nuisance was caused by burning this refuse, but the greatest difficulty would arise in overcoming the time-honoured prejudices of the domestic servant who usually finds the dustbin or ashpit the most convenient and least troublesome place to dispose of nearly everything that to her may be entitled rubbish.

Now with all due respect to those who framed Section 35 of the Public Health Act of 1875, it is open to considerable doubt whether the fixed dustbin or ashpit, as it is there styled, is the best and most sanitary receptacle for the house refuse. They may[15] be necessary and suitable for Public Institutions, or for large isolated private dwellings, or for schools or any places where excessive quantities of refuse may accumulate, but where this refuse is systematically and properly removed by the order of the local authority, at such times and in such manner as will be hereafter pointed out, a movable or portable dustbin, box, or basket, is far preferable to the large immoveable inconvenient fixed ashpit, recommended and enforced under the Act.

This portable dustbox should be of such dimensions that the men employed in removing the refuse could easily carry it out and empty its contents into the cart, and there is nothing to prevent more than one being provided, if it is found insufficient for the requirements of the household. The box should be made of iron, or wood or basket lined with tin, or some equally impervious material, so that it can easily be washed out and thoroughly cleansed and disinfected when found necessary to do so, a matter very difficult to accomplish with the fixed ashpit. The whole of its contents could be quickly emptied, which is more than can be easily effected with the fixed ashpit, and then only when very special arrangements are made for its drainage. The movable dustbox can, in addition to these advantages, be[16] placed in any part of the premises, and may be covered or not as may be deemed desirable, and need not, like many of the existing ashpits, be fixed in such a position as to appear to have been thus placed for the express purpose of poisoning with its foul smell the whole of the inhabitants in its vicinity. The movable box can also be readily taken out to the scavenging cart by the householder himself, a very essential requisite, as will be shown in the next chapter.