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PUBLIC HEALTH (LONDON) ACT, 1891.
The need for amendments to this Act is recognised, and it was expected that the County
Council would have introduced an amending Bill ere now. In February, 1899, a letter had been
received by the late Vestry from the Public Health Committee of that body, desiring information
as to amendments which in their opinion should be made. The communication was referred to a
sub-committee of the Sanitary Committee, together with reports by the vestry clerk, the surveyor,
and the medical officer of health, and certain amendments and additions to the Act were suggested.
The somewhat barren result of the inquiry was communicated to the County Council. No
legislation dealing with the points raised has so far been secured. In 1904, 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 following headings:—
1. Housing (1-13).—Houses 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, Inspection of Meat killed in Private Slaughter-houses, Inspection of Slaughter-houses,
Cow-houses, Dairies, Milk Shops and Milk Stores, Registration of Milk Shops, Sale of Milk,
Municipal Milk Depots, Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, Cisterns.
8. Prevention of Disease (26-43).—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 Creches, Smoke Nuisances, Metropolitan Ambulance
Service, etc.
The County Council forwarded to the Metropolitan Borough Councils a transcript of the
shorthand note of the proceedings at the Conference, and asked to be furnished with the views of
those bodies on such of the resolutions as proposed legislation. I made a report to the Council
(November 15th), expressing concurrence with the said resolutions, which dealt with the following
subjects:—
(а) The formulation of by-laws for the regulation of the structure of premises where
food is prepared for sale, and the certification of the suitability of such premises
by the Borough Councils.
(b) The formulation of by-laws for the regulation by the Borough Councils of the
conduct of the business carried on in premises where food is prepared for sale.
(c) The acquisition of powers to enable the Borough Councils to refuse registration
of premises as milk shops where, in their opinion, the premises are unfit.
(d) The introduction of legislation providing for the penalising of persons selling filthy
milk in London.
(e) The acquisition of powers to enable the Borough Councils, at their discretion, to
provide depots for the preparation and sale of sterilised and humanised milk for
infants.
(f) The introduction of legislation for the repeal of the warranty sections of the sale
of Food and Drugs Acts (sections 25 of the Act of 1875, and 20 of the Act of
1889).
(g) The acquisition of powers to enable the Borough Councils, at their discretion, to
establish creches, and to make reasonable charges for the accommodation and food
provided thereat.
(h) The amendment of the law so as to provide that disinfection shall be carried out
without the intervention of a contractor, and to the satisfaction of the Medical
Officer of Health.
(i) The acquisition of powers to enable the Metropolitan Asylums Board to extend the
operations of their ambulance service so as to include the transport of medical,
surgical and mental cases.
My report was referred to the Public Health Committee, who intimated that, whilst in
general sympathy with the majority of the resolutions, they felt a little hesitancy in expressing
an opinion thereon until they should have had before them the Bill which would, no doubt,
be introduced into Parliament, embodying the various suggestions dealt with. The Committee
therefore decided to defer the further consideration of the matter until such a measure had been
formulated; they recommended that a communication be addressed to the London County Council
on these lines, and this was done.