Tlic Public IIenlth (Drninugc of Triitlc Prcniiscs) Act, 1937, which canic into forcc on July I, 1938, is the first piccc of public legislation tlcsigncd to pro~notc the purification of rivers wliicli lins bccii passcd by I'iirlianicnt since tlic Rivers Pollution Prcvcntion Act, 1876, and it niakcs far-rciiching chiinges in principlcs of sewrage law and practicc which had beon cstnblishcil for more tliaii sixty years.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS LEADING TO THE ACTI n this country rivers pollution bccainc n serious mciiacc t o public hcnltli about tlic niiildlc of last century, wvhcii tlic widcsprcnd introduction of innchincry and the rise nnd derclopnicnt of tlic fiictory systcin cnused rapid growth in the population of towns, duc to pcoplc congrcgnting for industry and coninicrcc. Nost fiictorics were cstnblished on the bniilcs of s t r e a m wlicrc wiitcr was nvailnblc for power nnd ninnu fncturing purposcs, and large quantities of For many years much uncertiiinty I)revailcd as to t,hc corrcct intcrprctation of thesc provisions of tho two Acts wiLh regard to thc. real cstent of the trader's right and of the local authority's obligation. Eventually it WIS establishcd by judicial decisions that thc general position of trndcr and locnl authority rested on the Act of 1876, iind thiit, broadly, local nut.horities did not nppciir to bc normally undcr an obligrrtion to grant the trndcr ncccss to their scwcrs whcrc : (a) thc scwcragc system, including t h works of scwiigc disposnl, wns only sufficient for tlic rcquircmcnts of thcir district ; (I) the trade cUiucnt in quest,ion would bc prcjridicial to thc scwcrs or tho disposiil of the scwiigc, or w o~l d bc injurious from 11 snnitary point of view ; (c) thc facilities given would interfere with any rclcvniit ordcr of Court.Espcricncc slioivcd tlint these escmptioiis--piirticuInrly the first-tended to nidlify t.hc gcncrnl obligation, nnd it wits vcry dillicult, if not impossible, to' compel n lociil authority to give fricilitics if i L wcrc not tlisposcd so to do.W s uiisiitisfuctory stiitc of nffnirs wus one of tlic ninttcrs t,o rcccivc tlic cndy iittcntion of tlic Roynl Comiiisviou on Scwigc :I)isposiil, appointctl in 1S99. Tliis Coniniission, in tlicir Tliircl Ilcport (1903), rccollimcntlcd thiit, the law should bc itllcrcd to inrikc it; tlic duty of ii lociil iiutliority to provide such SCIVCTS as w r c iicccssiiry to ciirry triitlc cniucnts us well as domestic sctviigc, iincl t h t t.hc iuiiuufucturcr diould be givcii tho riglit, subject' t.o thc obscr\wwc of ccrtiiin siifeguiwh., to diucliiirgc trnclu cfllucnts into thc scwcrs of the locnl iiutlioriky if lic wirjlicd to do so.
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