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Having regard to all the facts, and to the power of the sanitary authority to build hospitals
for the inhabitants of their district, or to contract for the use of a hospital—in whole or in part—or
to make an agreement with the managers of any hospital for the reception of the sick inhabitants,
on payment of an annual or other sum, it would seem but reasonable that some arrangement should
be made whereby municipal aid should be given to the hospitals. And if such an arrangement
should seem equitable as regards the Metropolitan boroughs generally, it would be peculiarly so in,
the case of Kensington, which, having no general hospitals of its own, derives such remarkable
benefits from those in adjacent districts and in the Metropolis generally. The principle involved
is regarded by the Council in a favourable light, as they already contribute to hospitals both within
and without the Borough.
The Council referred to the Public Health Committee the reports in which this matter was
dealt with. The suggestion I submitted to the Committee was, that they should make a recommendation
to the Finance Committee with a view to an increased subscription to the "local"
hospitals now in receipt of assistance. No action was taken; nevertheless, I hope some good
may result from the information laid before the Council.
It may be mentioned that a Bill has been introduced into Parliament during the current
session to relieve hospitals from payment of rates. Should it become law, it would be desirable, as
regards the Metropolis, to bring the matter within the provisions of the Equalisation of Rates Act;
or, in the alternative, and seeing that patients are admitted to hospitals without regard to questions
of residence, it would seem equitable that the hospitals should be reimbursed for their expenditure,
to the extent of the rates paid by them, out of the "Common Poor Fund." The equity of an
arrangement of the sort, if not effected by adjustments under the Equalisation Act, could not be
called in question by us; for, excepting as to a portion of the Brompton Consumption Hospital,
there are no important hospitals in the Royal Borough.
THE HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES.
The most interesting event of the year in connection with this subject was the passing of
"The Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1903," which introduced some important amendments
into the law relating to the housing of the working classes. The effect of Sub-Section (1) of
Section 1 is to extend the maximum period for the repayment of loans raised for the purpose of the
"principal Act" (i.e. the Act of 1890), or any Acts amending it, to 80 years, leaving the actual
period for repayment, subject to this limitation, to be determined, as heretofore, with the sanction
of the Local Government Board. The Board, however, stated in a circular to Urban Sanitary
Authorities calling attention to the provisions of the new Act, that they propose, in future, as a
general rule, to allow the full term of 80 years for the repayment of money borrowed for the
purchase of freehold land, and 60 years for the repayment of money borrowed for the erection of
buildings under the Housing Acts, where the circumstances are such that this may properly be
done. Where money has been borrowed in recent years for these purposes, they will consider
applications for sanction to the reborrowing of the outstanding balances for 80 or 60 years (as the
case may be), from the date of the original borrowing, if the money has been borrowed on terms
which will admit of this. Under section 75 of the principal Act, a condition is implied in any
contract made after August 14th, 1885, for the letting of a house, or part of a house, for habitation
for persons of the working classes (as such letting is therein defined), to the effect that the house is,
at the commencement of the holding, fit for human habitation. As this enactment stood prior to
the passing of the new Act, it seemed that there was nothing to prevent an agreement being made
between the landlord and the tenant contracting themselves out of its provisions. Any such
agreement made after the date of the passing of the new Act, is made void by Section 12. By an
Order in Council, the housing work now under the jurisdiction of the Home Office may be
transferred to the Local Government Board (Section 2).
In the case of default by a Local Authority in carrying out a necessary rehousing scheme,
the Confirming Authority may, under Section 4, compel the Local Authority, by mandamus, to
proceed, or itself execute the scheme. It is no longer necessary for a Local Authority, before
proceeding to obtain an Order to close a house unfit for habitation, to serve a notice on the owner
requiring him to abate the nuisance—a merely useless proceeding which only tended to delay
(Section 8). Section 11 gives the Local Authority, with the consent of the Local Government
Board, power to provide and maintain any building adapted for use as a shop, any recreation
grounds, or other amenities which would be beneficial to persons inhabiting a lodging-house, a
course adumbrated in a report of the Public Health and Housing Committee of the County Council
in 1894.