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77
Dr. Edgar Taunton, Barrister at Law, Deputy Medical
Officer of Health for the Borough, These notes
touched upon the more important sections of the Act so
far as they apply to Metropolitan Borough Councils.
Since then the Local Government Board has issued
orders, made under the Act, together with explanatory
circulars and memoranda for the guidance of local
authorities. The provisions for dealing with the acquisition
of land have been much simplified without being
weakened.
The failure of this authority to induce the London
County Council to take action under the old housing
Acts in respect of two eminently suitable areas within
the Borough, will be within the recollection of most
Councillors. Since 1905 the provisions of the Public
Health Act (although unavailing to modify the existing
evils of badly planned narrow streets and courts, and
decayed and out-of-date structures) have been enforced
to such an extent that no portion of the Borough, taken
as an area, could now be successfully scheduled under
the housing Acts as "unhealthy."
Valuable work has been carried out under Sec. 15 of
the new Act. This section gives power to a local
authority to deal with landlords who fail to keep houses
of a gross rental not exceeding £40 per annum, in such
a state as to be reasonably fit for human habitation.
The powers previously enjoyed in this respect were
incomplete, for it was necessary to prove, either the
existence of a statutory nuisance, or else to show to the
satisfaction of a Court of Summary Jurisdiction that a
house was in a state so dangerous or injurious to health