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of the amendments were adopted; others, and all but two of the proposed additions, were rejected.
The somewhat barren result of the enquiry was communicated to the County Council, but no
proposals for legislation dealing with the points raised have so far been made. Last year,
however, the Council convened a Conference of Delegates of the Metropolitan Asylums Board,
and of the Metropolitan Borough Councils (twenty-five of which were represented), to consider "the
administration of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891." The Conference was held at the
County Hall, Spring Gardens. The resolutions adopted, 49 in number, were grouped under the
followfng headings:—
1. Housing (1-18).—Homes Let in Lodgings, Underground Rooms, Water Supply, Factories
and Workshops, Shops.
2. Food (14-25).—Premises where Food is prepared for sale. Abolition of Private
houses, Impection of Meat killed in Private Slaughter-houses, Inspection of Slaughter-houses,
Cow-homes, Dairies, Milk Shops and Milk Stores, Registration of Milk Shops, Sale of Milk,
Municipal Milk Depots, Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, Cisterns.
3. Prevention of Disease (26-48).—Disinfection, Provision of Laundry, Provision of
Permanent Shelter Accommodation, Precautionary Measures against Phthisis, Hospital
Accommodation, Offensive Trades, House Refuse, Collection of Fish Offal and other
Offensive Trade Refuse, Sanitary Inspection.
4. Miscellaneous (44-49).—Municipal Criches, Smoke Nuisances, Metropolitan Ambulance
Service, etc.
References to certain of the resolutions will be found under appropriate headings in other
parts of this report; it may be convenient, nevertheless, to give here a summary account of those
of them which deal with subjects in regard to which the Council have at one time or another taken
a somewhat special interest. Thus the Conference, by an unanimous vote, recognising the desirability
of provision being made of—
(1.)—Sanatoria for Persons suffering from Consumption, &c., for the Metropolis, as a whole, and
under one authority, affirmed the view that "the Metropolitan Asylums Board should be such
authority." It will be rememberd that the hesitancy of the Board in regard to taking up this
work was based on the want of a "general consensus of opinion on the part of the Metropolitan
authorities" on the subject. Whatever may have been the state of matters when that resolution
was arrived at, in November, 1902, the circumstances, as is shown at large at page 37, are wholly
different now. At present, however, the question rests where it was when the Asylums Board, in
November, 1903—regarding it as "one of vital and far-reaching importance to the community at
large"—applied to the Local Government Board, as "chief health authority of the country," for
"some authoritative expression of opinion," before they should be "asked to take any definite
action in the matter." To the appeal then made, the Managers have not yet received any reply,
despite the fact that the President of the Board had, on more than one occasion, expressed himself
as being favourably disposed to the establishment of sanatoria for the open-air treatment of
consumptives.
(2.)—Ambulance Service.—The Conference "taking note that the Metropolitan Asylums
Board are prepared to extend the operations of their ambulance service so as to include the
transport of medical, surgical, and mental cases," by an unanimous vote requested the Local
Government Board "to obtain for the Managers the requisite legal authority to enable them to do
so." The opinion, moreover, was expressed that "should the London County Council not be able
to provide for a Street Ambulance Service," this duty also "should be undertaken by the
Metropolitan Asylums Board." This subject is more fully dealt with at page 56.
(3.)—Municipal Creches.—" Having regard to the declining birth-rate, and the large infantile
mortality-rate in the Metropolis," the Conference held it to be "desirable that the Borough
Councils should be empowered, at their discretion, to establish creches for the reception of young
children during the hours their mothers are employed in work away from home, and to make
reasonable charges for the accommodation so provided, and for the food of the children." A resolution
was passed requesting the County Council "to insert in a 'General Powers' Bill, a clause
to confer such discretionary power upon the Borough Councils." This subject is further dealt with
at page 52,
(4.)—Municipal Milk Depots—A resolution, in similar terms, was adopted, requesting the
County Council to obtain powers to enable the Borough Councils to "provide in their respective
districts, depots for the preparation and sale of sterilized and humanised milk for the food of infants,"
which would be particularly useful in connection with the work of creches. This subject is more
fully dealt with at page 49.