View report page

10
"institutions are too valuable to be left to charity, seeing that it is impossible,
"by past experience, to raise sufficient funds by begging for their proper
"upkeep, maintenance and administration: therefore we hope that the whole
"of the hospitals of this country will be taken over by the State and properly
"provided for at the earliest possible moment."
"Further, that copies of this resolution be sent to all administrative bodies
"in the London area, asking for their endorsement of the same, and to forward
"this resolution to their respective Members of Parliament; a copy shall also
"be sent to the Prime Minister, Chairman of the Labour Party, and Press,
"local and national."
In December the Clerk announced that only 21 out of 95 Local Authorities
in the London area had agreed with this resolution.
NATIONAL CHARGES.
In December, at the suggestion of the Labour Party, it was resolved that:—
"This Council is of opinion that the present system of placing on the
"localities a large proportion of the cost of meeting our national responsi"bilities,
in the matter of education, housing, maintenance of the poor and
"infirm, unemployed relief, asylums, infectious hospitals, etc., and the many
"optional powers given to Local Authorities, is unjust and oppressive. It
"further results in many of those urgent obligations being inadequate) met,
"or altogether evaded, to the great detriment of the community.
"This Council therefore demands that the whole of these charges should
"be placed on the National Exchequer, and that for administrative purposes
"the money so raised should be allocated to the local authorities in proportion
"to the requirements of their districts.
"Further, A.—To instruct the Clerk to the Council to have copies of this
"resolution sent to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, the Chancellor
"of the Exchequer, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Labour.
Further, B.—To instruct the Clerk to the Council to have circular
"letters printed and forwarded to all local bodies in the country, embodying
"the enclosed resolution, asking them to take similar action to that of the
"E.U.D.C. in the matter; also to take joint action with the E.U.D.C.in urging
"the Minister of Health to call a National Conference of all local bodies
"responsible to his department, to consider the whole question of the rating
"basis of meeting local charges, and the unfairness of the incidence on this
"basis to areas inhabited mainly by working people."
Greater London.—On April 11th the Middlesex County Council convened
a meeting between their Parliamentary Committee and representatives of the
Local Sanitary Authorities in Middlesex, to consider the proposed extension
of the County of London; two of our Councillors attended, with the Engineer.