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(5) When the sanitary authority have disinfected any house, part of a house,
or article, under the provisions of this section, they shall compensate
the master or owner of such house, or part of a house, or the owner of
such article, lor any unnecessary damage thereby caused to such house,
part of a house, or article; and when the authority destroy any
article under the section, they shall compensate the owner thereof,
and the amount of any such compensation shall be recoverable in a
summary manner.
"Section 61 reads as follows:—
(1) Any sanitary authority may serve a notice on the owner of any bedding,
clothing, or other articles which have been exposed to the infection of
any dangerous infectious disease, requiring the delivery thereof to an
officer of the sanitary authority for removal for the purpose of destruction
or disinfection ; and if any person fails to comply with such notice
he shall, on the information of the sanitaiy authority, be liable to a fine
not exceeding ten pounds.
(2) The bedding, clothing, and articles, if so disinfected by the sanitary
authority, shall be brought back and delivered to the owner free of
charge, and if any of them sufter any unnecessary damage, the authority
shall compensate the owner for the same, and the authority shall also
compensate the owner for any articles destroyed; and the amount of
compensation shall be recoverable in a summary manner.
"It thus appears that if the 'master' or 'owner' of the house,
or part, fails to respond to the 'notice' of the Sanitary Authority
(section 60 (1) )—supposing such notice to have been served—viz.,
by not informing that body within twenty-four hours that he will disinfect
the house, or part, and infected articles therein, the house and
the articles must be disinfected by the Sanitary Authority at the
public cost, whatever the position in life of such master or owner.
Section 61 (1), enables—practically requires—the Sanitary Authority
to enforce delivery of infected bedding, clothing, &c, for the purpose
of destruction, or of disinfection, as the case may be, also at the
public cost. The public, I may add, are now familiar with the law,
and generally the Sanitary Authority are required to disinfect infected
rooms, and articles therein, by the master of the house, who readily
complies with the request for delivery of bedding, clothing, &c., to be
taken away for disinfection. But the opportunity is afforded to
people able to defray the cost of disinfection, to do so, by delivery of
a printed notice, which I drew up, many years ago, to the following
effect:—
"Infectious Diseases: Disinfection.—The Sanitary Inspectors
being frequently asked for advice as to the steps necessary to be taken
for the disinfection of bedding, clothing, &c., after infectious disease,
and to recommend a person to whom the work of disinfection may be
safely entrusted, the Vestry have thought it desirable to state that
Messrs.—of—, are employed by them to disinfect bedding,
clothing, and other articles for persons who are unable to defray the
whole or any part of the cost of the process. In mentioning this fact
for the convenience of parishioners, and in further stating that they are
satisfied with the way in which Messrs.—have conducted the work
entrusted to them, the Vestry must not be understood to make a