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wives or persons practising as midwives within the county. To enable it to carry out these and allied
duties the Council appointed four qualified women medical practitioners, to inspect midwives and to
investigate special cases. The Midwives Act, 1918, passed to amend the Act of 1902 enlarged the Council's
responsibilities, the chief alteration dealing with the provision of medical assistance for midwives. By
section 14 midwives are required to summon medical aid in any case of emergency as defined by the rules
of the Central Midwives Board. The fees of the medical man so called in are payable by the Council
(in accordance with a scale fixed by the Local Government Board and amended by the Ministry of Health),
which has power to recover them from the patient, her husband, or other person liable to maintain
her, unless it can be shown that such person is unable to pay the fees. From 1st April, 1920, to 31st
March, 1921, the Council's expenditure under this head was about £5,050, of which about £560 was
recoverable.
Under Section 5 of the Act of 1902, as amended by section 2 of the Act of 1918, any adverse
balance in the accounts of the Central Midwives Board is apportioned between the councils of the several
counties and county boroughs in proportion to population at the last census, and the Council's proportion
for the year 1920 was £615.

Under the provisions of section 11 of the Midwives Act, 1918, the Council, as a local supervising
authority, may aid in the training of midwives, whether within or without its area, and may make
grants for the purpose. In addition, grants to assist in the training of midwives may be secured under
the Board of Education (Midwives' Training) Regulations, 1919. With a view to ascertaining the need
for the training of midwives for work within the County, representatives of various hospitals and institutions
which are training centres for this purpose, and other persons interested in this matter were consulted.
It was admitted that there was no real shortage of practising midwives in London, but suggestions
were made for improving their status and qualifications. As a result the Council, in addition
to continuing its courses of post-graduate instruction for practising midwives, represented to the Board
of Education that it was desirable that a standard of general education and health should be established
for pupil midwives who desire to avail themselves of the provisions of the Board of Education (Training
of Midwives) Regulations, 1919. The Board replied that it was prepared to support any training
institution which took steps to secure candidates of good general education; that, with regard to the
elimination of candidates who were physically unfit for the work, it thought that for the time being,
it would be preferable to leave the matter to the discretion of the managers of training institutions;
that it would impress upon such managers the need for careful selection of candidates; and would
refuse grants in cases where, in its opinion, unsuitable candidates were being admitted.
In connection with the reconstitution of the Central Midwives Board under section 1 of the Act
of 1918, the Council represented to the Ministry of Health that representation on the Board should be
allocated to the Council. The Ministry, however, intimated that it did not think that it would be justified
in taking action with a view to securing special representation of the Council upon the Board.
The attention of the Council was drawn to an offer made to the Central Midwives Board by the
Ministry of Health to arrange for the women medical officers and nurse inspectors on the staff of the
Ministry to inspect and advise the Board upon midwives or institutions desirous of obtaining the Board's
sanction to undertake the training of pupil midwives. As it was the practice, instituted at the request
of the Board, for reports in this respect to be made to the Board by the Council's inspectors under the
Midwives Act, it appeared to the Council that the action of the Ministry was unnecessary and would lead
to confusion and involve wasteful expenditure and the Ministry was informed of the Council's views
upon the matter.
Jouses let
in lodgings,
etc.
The Housing, Town Planning, etc. Act, 1919, requires the Council, in lieu of the metropolitan
borough councils, to make for the county by-laws respecting houses divided into separate tenements.
Section 26 provides that such by-laws shall deal with (a) the number of persons who may occupy a house
or part of a house which is let in lodgings and for separation of the sexes therein; (b) the registration
and inspection of such houses; (c) the enforcing of drainage and the promotion of cleanliness and
ventilation; (d) the provision, adequate for the use of and readily accessible to each family of