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4. Conclusion. — Legislation is necessary to give effect to the
above recommendations, and to compel railway and canal
companies to carry refuse from towns at a reasonable
while remunerative rate.
Baby-farming.—It has pleased the Legislature to endow the
Metropolitan Board of Works with many functions, and one of the
Acts, for the carrying out of which it is responsible, is the InfantLife
Protection Act, 1872, which makes it illegal for any person to
receive for hire, for the purpose of nursing apart from its parents,
more than one infant, or in the case of twins, more than two
infants, under the age of one year, except in a house registered by
the local authority, i.e., the Board. The Act is directed against
the abuses of "baby-farming," and whilst it may be admitted that
it has done some good, the fact that there are only 24 registered
houses in the Metropolis must be accepted as evidence of failure,
notwithstanding that "all practicable measures have been taken for
making the provisions of the Act known, and for the discovery and
punishment of persons acting in contravention of it." Your
Vestry's Sanitary Inspectors have received directions to assist
the Board by calling attention to any case of illegal baby-farming
that may come under their notice.
The facts of one glaring case having been reported by me to the
Board last year, they prosecuted the keeper, who was fined £5,
and other prosecutions, to the number of 11, were successfully
carried through. The infants confided to the charge of babyfarmers,
"many of whom are old, and quite unfitted for the duty,"
are, it need scarcely be said, mostly illegitimate. The subject is
one of considerable importance, and it is satisfactory to know that
the Home Secretary, the Local Government Board, and the Metropolitan
Board of Works recognise the necessity of further legislation
for the protection of infant life. The suggestions made by
the latter Board for the amendment of the Act are as follow:—
1.—The operation of the Act should be extended to infants
under five years of age, and to the keeping for hire of
any number of infants.
2.—Where two or more adults live together, and take infants
for hire, they should be severally liable.