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79
The Medical Officer of Health of Islington says the council of that borough has decided to erect suitable
buildings, and the Medical^Officer of Health of Woolwich states that the borough council has decided
to'erect a bath or baths adjoining the {disinfecting station in White Hart-road. The need of such
accommodation is pointed out by the Medical Officer of Health of Southwark.
Legislation in 1904.
In addition to the powers conferred upon the Council with respect to tuberculosis of the udder
in cows referred to on page 54, the London County Council General Powers) Act of 1904, Part IV.
deals with various sanitary matters in respect of which new powers are conferred upon sanitary
authorities. These powers may be thus summarized.—
Filthy, dangerous or unwholesome articles.—Section 19 (1) provides that where on the certificate
of the medical officer of a sanitary district, it appears to the sanitary authority that any articles in any
house in their district are in such a filthy, dangerous or unwholesome condition that health is affected
or endangered thereby, or that the cleansing or purifying or destroying of any such articles is requisite
to prevent risk of or to check infectious disease, the sanitary authority may, at their own expense, cause
any such articles to be cleansed or purified or destroyed.
The sanitary authority is required by Section 19 (2) to compensate the owner for any unnecessary
damage and reasonably compensate him for any articles destroyed.
Houses infested with vermin.—Section 20 provides that where on a similar certificate it appears
to the sanitary authority that any house or part thereof in their district is infested with vermin, the
sanitary authority shall give notice in writing to the owner or occupier, requiring him within a specified
period to cleanse such house or part thereof, and if so required to remove the wall paper and to take such
other steps as they may require for the purpose of destroying and removing vermin.
Section 20 (2) provides a penalty upon conviction, not exceeding 10s. per day during^default
in compliance with the notice, and in the event of non-compliance the sanitary authority may, after the
period specified in the notice, themselves do any work required by the notice, and summarily recover
the reasonable costs and expenses as a civil debt from the person making default.
In the event of proceedings under the Section the court is empowered by Section 20 (3) to inquire
whether the requirements of the sanitary authority contained in the notice were reasonable and whether
the costs, etc., incurred by the sanitary authority in doing the work, or any part thereof, ought to be
borne wholly or in part by the person to whom the notice was given, and the Court may make such order
as to the costs and expenses as appears to the court to be just and reasonable.
The provisions of Section 59 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, as to provision of means
for disinfecting bedding, etc., are made applicable by Section 21 of this Act to the provisions of Sections
19 and 20 above referred to.
Removal or alteration of sanitary conveniences.—Section 22 empowers the'sanitary authority by
notice to require the owner of any sanitary convenience, which is now or may hereafter be erected in
or accessible from any street, and so placed or constructed as to be a nuisance or offensive to public
decency, to remove such convenience or otherwise to reconstruct the same in such manner and with such
materials as may be required to abate the nuisance or remove the offence.
A penalty upon conviction of not exceeding £5 and a continuing penalty of not exceeding £1 per
day is provided by the Section for default in compliance with the notice.
Fixed ashpits.—Section 23 provides that where in connection with a building a movable ashpit
contorming with the sanitary authority's requirements has been provided, the sanitary authority may,
by notice, require the owner of such building within a reasonable period to remove or fill up any fixed
ashpit in or about such building, and restore to a good and sanitary condition the site of such ashpit.
A penalty of not exceeding £1 and a continuing penalty of 10s. per day is provided for default in
complying with the notice.
The Section empowers the sanitary authority themselves to bear any reasonable costs and
expenses or part thereof in executing works under the Section, if they think fit.
Section 24 gives the sanitary authority power to enter any house or part thereof, if they have
reasonable cause to suppose that there are any filthy, dangerous or unwholesome articles therein which
require to be purified or that the house or part thereof is infested with vermin.
Section 25 incorporates various sections of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, for the purpose
of enabling sanitary authorities to enforce the provisions of this part of this Act, and Section 101 of the
1891 Act, which empowers the Council in the event of a sanitary authority making default in executing
any provisions of the Act to make a complaint to the Local Government Board, is also incorporated.
Dr. Kerr states in his annual report (see appendix III., page 18), that in connection with the
observations made as to the condition of children in the Council's schools, information has been
furnished to sanitary authorities regarding houses suspected to be verminous, and some authorities
have done a great deal in effecting cleansing, while others have apparently done little.
Midwives Act.
The Midwives Act came into operation on 1st April, 1903, and the Central Midwives Board was
constituted thereunder. Later in 1903 the Board framed its rules and began to issue certificates
to midwives. The London County Council is the local supervising authority for London
under the Act, and as a preliminary measure information was obtained by the Council
from various sources as to women said to be practising midwifery in London. In April, 1904, a circular
letter was sent to some 550 of these women pointing out the provisions of the Act and directing what steps
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