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246
houses have been dealt with under the Housing Act, Part 2,
dealing with unhealthy dwellings within the Metropolitan
area. In recently recommending that notices should be
served under Section 32 of the 1890 Housing Act, with respect
to houses in Europa Place, I was of opinion, after careful
consideration, that more satisfactory results would accrue
from proceedings under the Housing Act than under the
Public Health Act, as the state of the premises (more
especially as pointed out in my report, Nos. 21-27) was such
as to render it practically impossible to state specifically all
the defects or nuisances as required under the Public Health
Act. My opinion is being justified, having regard to the fact
that difficulties are already being experienced in getting the
work carried out under the Statutory Notices under the Public
Health Act, served by the Chief Sanitary Inspector, who has
even found it necessary to write in his official capacity to the
London County Council as the Building Authority, drawing
their attention to the state of the property in so far as it
contravenes the Building Acts in addition to the Public Health
and Housing Acts.
The Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, consists
of 7 parts, and these will, doubtless, be dealt with by the
Solicitor in his report. Suffice it to say that the general
experience of Medical Officers of Health is that Part 1 of the
Act is cumbersome in procedure, officially and legally dilatory,
costly to the ratepayers and otherwise unsatisfactory, while
good results are obtainable under Part 2 of the Act dealing
with unhealthy dwelling houses. Under this Part 2 it is the
duty of the Medical Officer of Health (he has no option in the
matter) under Section 32 to "represent to his Authority any
dwelling house which appears to him to be in a state so
dangerous or injurious to health as to be unfit for human
habitation," so that notices may be served calling upon the
owners concerned to do certain work, so as to put the premises
into proper order and condition or to have the premises closed.
The advantages of this procedure under the Housing Act
over the procedure under the Public Health Act are worthy of