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26
REGULATIONS FOR HOUSES LET IN LODGINGS.
(38 th Section, Sanitary Act, 1866).
When this Act was first passed, bye-laws were framed and
sanctioned for this parish; but I cannot learn that they were ever put
in force; since they were very crude, and evidently quite unworkable.
They were allowed to lapse, and no further action was taken until, in
the early part of January, the Local Government Board, by advertisement
in the Gazette, declared Section 38 of the Sanitary Act, 1866, to be
in force all over London. On the 30th of January a communication,
in accordance with the terms of the advertisement, was received from
the Board desiring the Vestry to take the matter into consideration.
A Special Committee (Works and Sanitary) was called. Mr. Vossmade
a lucid statement of the legal position, and laid before the Committee
the model regulations issued by the Local Government Board, together
with those recommended by the Society of Medical Officers of Health.
Copies of both these were ordered to be circulated amongst the
members of the Vestry; but as neither of these codes of bye-laws
was considered exactly suitable to this district, the Clerk and the
Medical Officer of Health were ordered to prepare a draft set of
regulations. These were printed, and proofs circulated: at the next
meeting of the joint Committee they were considered. Each clause
was carefully considered, discussed, and such alterations as the
members thought necessary were made. The revised regulations were
now printed, and each member of the Vestry was supplied with a copy.
At the next meeting of the Board the adoption of the regulations was
proposed by the chairman of the Sanitary Committee, but the Vestry
almost unanimously refused to entertain them, as the members considered
that the regulations were more or less oppressive, and that
houses could be quite as well dealt with under existing laws.
From that opinion I beg most respectfully to differ; for it was never
contemplated that the whole of the houses let in lodgings all over the
parish should be dealt with under the section, but only such as are
dirty, overcrowded, and badly-conducted.
The proposed regulations provide, that before a house can be
registered, and thus brought under the operation of the section, the
sanction of the Vestry must be obtained.
It is a very much simpler matter to take legal proceedings for a
breach of regulations than it is to proceed under the ordinary Nuisance