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61
out in intimate conjunction with Public Health Authorities as
enunciated in paragraphs 5 and 6 of the memorandum of the
Board of Education, and that of the Metropolitan Cities and
Boroughs should for this purpose be made units of administration;
that Medical Officers of Health of the Metropolitan Cities and
Boroughs be appointed by the London County Council as to the
local administrative officers, co-operating for this purpose with the
Medical Officer of Health of the County of London; that it is
desirable that the necessary executive assistants should be
appointed by the London County Council and allocated to the
Metropolitan Cities and Boroughs, such assistants to be under the
control of and to receive instructions from, and to report directly
to the Medical Officers of Health of the Cities and Boroughs ; and
that it is desirable that the Medical Officer of Health should report
directly to the London County Council in all matters relating to the
administration of the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act."
The Education Committee did not view the suggestion with favour
and reported that:—
"No doubt advantage would result from such an arrangement
in so far that it would provide the Medical Officers of Health with
knowledge of the conditions affecting the children, and would
enable them to consider those conditions in relation to those
obtaining at home. Desirable as this would be, the Education
Committee could not regard as a practicable measure the employment
for this purpose of officers appointed and paid by other
authorities. In view of the heavy responsibility resting on the
Council under the Act, the Committee were of opinion that it
would be necessary for the Council to retain in the hands of officers
directly responsible to it, whom it appointed and paid, the direction
and supervision of the whole of the work. Moreover, the sanitary
areas of London were not like those of provincial counties, which
are often widely separated from each other, the schools of each
Sanitary Authority being attended solely by the children living in
that area. Further, the inspection in question must also relate to
the needs of the Council as the Education Authority, and therefore
it was necessary that the direction and supervision of the
Inspecting Officers should be undertaken by officers appointed by
and responsible to the Council. The Medical Officer of Health,
who was in close touch with the various local Medical Officers of
Health, would be able to supply such officers with all the necessary
information and statistics, to keep them fully cognisant of the working
of the medical side of education, and to enable them to make use
of it in the ordinary duties connected with local administration"
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