Parliament now formally recognised and definitely laid down the principle that the "owner" was the person responsible for the insanitary condition of his property; and in addition declared that individuals would not in future be allowed to deal with their property in such a manner as to cause injury to the public health. But declaration of principles was one thing--their enforcement was another. Unfortunately, those who were charged with their enforcement were too often the persons directly interested in resisting reform, and in very many instances, where even a partial enforcement of these principles was attempted, the action was resented and vigorously resisted. The Metropolis Local Management Act came into force on January 1, 1856, and the Central Authority--the Metropolitan Board of Works--and the local authorities--Vestries and District Boards--having been duly elected, entered upon their duties. The first and most urgent work which the Metropolitan Board was charged to carry out was the main drainage of the metropolis, and at the outset, the new Board directed its efforts almost exclusively to the highly technical task of devising and considering and adopting plans for the construction of a great system of sewerage which should intercept the flow of sewage into the Thames, and should convey it by other means to a safe distance below London, whence it might flow into the sea. Any plan had, however, to be approved by the Chief Commissioner of Works. To him the Board submitted three plans, but none of them received such approval, and the matter was at a deadlock until 1858, when an Act was passed removing the veto of the Chief Commissioner of Works, and at the same time giving the Metropolitan Board power to raise a loan of £3,000,000, which up to that time it had no power to do. Within a week from the passing of that Act, the Board determined on a plan, and began arrangements for carrying it out. The plan adopted was to intercept all the sewage flowing into the Thames within the area of the metropolis, and to convey it by sewers to a distance, and to discharge it into the river at such a condition of tide as should take it still further out, so as not to return and become a nuisance to the metropolis. The proposed interception on the north side was by three main sewers, discharging at Barking--the upper, the middle, and the lower, with branches; on the south side, by two main sewers, discharging at Crossness. As the result of the Act there had been transferred to the Board 106 miles of main sewers on the north side of the Thames with 33 outlets into the river, and 60 miles on the south side with 31 outlets. A considerable number of these were offensive open sewers, others were defective in design and construction, whilst all required reconstruction to make them effective, and to fit them for connection with the new system. The Central Authority had thus a heavy task before it, and one which it would take years to perform.