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16
Law Authority, and at their meeting on the 26th instant they
unanimously adopted the following resolution:—
"That the Clerk be instructed to write to the Poplar
Borough Council asking if it will, in future, pay the fee of
the doctor whom the midwife is compelled to send for in
dangerous emergencies in non-pauper cases within the
borough, in accordance with its powers under the Public
Health Acts; and to point out that this Board has hitherto
been doing so, but that it considers that as such cases do
not otherwise come in contact with the Poor Law it would
be preferable on all grounds that the Borough Council
should do so."
I am, accordingly, to ask you that you will be good enough to
submit the matter to the Borough Council for consideration, and
the Guardians will be glad to be informed of any action which the
Council may take thereon.
Yours faithfully,
G. HERBERT LOUGH,
Clerk.
L. Potts, Esq., Town Clerk,
Metropolitan Borough of Poplar.
Section 77 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, enacts that any
Sanitary Authority may, with the sanction of the Local Government
Board, themselves provide, or contract with any person to provide, a
temporary supply of medicine and medical assistance for the poorer
inhabitants of their district.
It would appear therefore that the Council may, subject to the
sanction of the Local Government Board, pay the fees of medical
practitioners as suggested.
The Midwives (No. 2) Bill introduced in the House of Lords proposes
to make provision for payment by Boards of Guardians of the fees of
medical practitioners called in by midwives. The Council had agreed it
is undesirable that medical assistance rendered in such circumstances
should be associated with Poor Law administration, and urged that the
London County Council should be the authority in London responsible
for such payments.
In the meantime, having regard to the undesirability ot such cases