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received from the Board intimating their willingness to approve,
with a few, mostly verbal, amendments, the bye-laws which
the Sanitary Committee had tentatively forwarded for their
consideration five months previously—these bye-laws, differing
in some material respects from the bye-laws adopted by
your Vestry. After a further long interval the Board returned
the second draft bye-laws, with suggested amendments. To
some of the Board's suggestions your Vestry demurred, and a
further communication was made to the Board, urging, inter
alia, the desirability cf a proposed bye-law requiring the landlord
of a registered house to give notice to the Sanitary
Authority when intending to carry out the annual cleansing,
so as to enable the Sanitary Inspector to supervise the
execution of the work. The Board had expressed doubt as to
the competency of the Sanitary Authority to make such a
bye-law.* As to the desirability of such a bye-law, there can,
I think, be no question.
In the sixth report (25th June, 1897), a further suggestion
for a new bye-law was made with a view to enforce the
provision and maintenance at the " furnished " rooms in
registered houses, of bedding which should be clean and wholesome,
and free from noxious insects. The matter was referred
to the Sanitary Committee, who recommended (6th October)—
" That the Vestry do approve of a draft bye-law in the
following terms, and that the same be submitted to the
Local Government Board for their approval, viz.:—
" The landlord or keeper of a registered house in
which rooms are let in furnished lodgings, shall cause
the bedding and other articles in such rooms to be at
all times maintained in a clean and wholesome
condition and free from noxious insects."
* The Board's suggestion was that a definite period should be fixed for the
execution of the works of cleansing, &c., meaning one month, so that the Sanitary
Authority, knowing about when the work would be in progress, should have a
chance of being able to exercise supervision. The period limited by the
proposed bye-laws, "March 1st to August 1st inclusive," is so prolonged, that it is
practically impossible to supervise, as the Inspectors rarely know when the work is
likely to be in progress.