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for failing to notify the Council of her intention to practise as a midwife within the
Administrative County of London during the current year, and a penalty of £1
was imposed with 10/6 costs. Four prima facie cases of negligence or misconduct
were reported to the Central Midwives Board. In two cases the Board removed
the name of the midwife from the roll; and in one case the Board postponed sentence
and asked for periodical reports on the midwife's conduct and methods of practice;
The remaining case has not yet been dealt with by the Board.
To prevent the spread of infection the Council suspended eight midwives from
practice for periods under section 8 (3) of the Midwives Act, 1902. Under section
6 (2) of the Midwives Act, 1918, the Council as local supervising authority may.
if it thinks fit, pay such reasonable compensation for loss of practice as, under the
circumstances may seem just; and by virtue of this power the Council during the
year paid compensation amounting to £29 5s..
Arising out of a suggestion made at an unofficial conference on the subject
of the "Reduction of Maternal Mortality by the Co-operation of all the Health
Services Concerned," promoted by the Post-Certificate School of the General Lyingin
Hospital, the Central Midwives Board decided to convene periodical conferences
between the Board and local supervising authorities. For this purpose the country
was divided into seven groups, including the Administrative County of London as
a separate entity. The Council authorised the medical officer of health or his representative
to attend the preliminary conference upon the matter on the understanding
that the Council was by such attendance in no way committed as to its policy.
Houses
divided into
separate
tenements.
Early in 1920 model by-laws under section 26 of the Housing, Town Planning,
etc., Act, 1919, with regard to houses divided into separate tenements were issued
by the Minister of Health, and on 27th July, 1920, the Council made by-laws based
on the model by-laws, and applied for confirmation of the same. In view of the
suggestions of the Minister of Health and of representations made by various interested
parties, the by-laws were considerably revised, but in the early part of 1923
it was not found practicable to settle the by-laws without knowledge of the position
which would arise on the expiration of the Increase of Rent and Mortgage Interest
(Restrictions) Act, 1920. The Rent and Mortgage Interest Restrictions Act, 1923,
prolonged, with certain exceptions, the duration of the Act of 1920 until 24th June,
1925. Moreover, under section 14 of the Housing, etc., Act, 1923, by-laws made by
the Council in pursuance of section 26 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act,
1919, may provide that the by-laws shall, either generally or as respects any
particular metropolitan borough or any part thereof, have effect subject to such
modifications, limitations or exceptions as may be specified in the by-laws.
The section provides, also, that as soon as any by-laws made by the Council
come into force, all by-laws made by metropolitan borough councils under section
94 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, shall cease to have effect, but that a
borough council shall have power, after the Council has made by-laws, to make bylaws
under the said section 94 with respect to any houses or parts of houses in its
area let in lodgings or occupied by members of more than one family to which the
by-laws made by the Council do not apply.
The section extends the purposes for which by-laws may be made by the Council
in order to include the taking of precautions in the case of any infectious disease.
On 19th February, 1924, the Council provisionally approved revised by-laws
prepared on the basis of the powers conferred by the above-mentioned Acts. Copies
of these by-laws were transmitted to the Metropolitan borough councils for their
observations.
Census of
homeless
persons.
Censuses were taken by the medical officer, in continuation of those in previous
years, of homeless persons in order to ascertain the use made of common lodginghouses,
and the provision existing for the accommodation of persons of the poorest
class. The censuses were taken on a winter night, and the total number of homeless
persons found in the streets, on staircases and under arches were February, 1915,