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has taken a prominent part in promoting legislation to secure
Notification. It is not too much to say, perhaps, that the Bill is
the Bill of the Association, and it was natural, therefore, that
the Association should endeavour to promote its success by
means of a Deputation to the Local Government Board. Such
a deputation waited on the Board in March of the present year,
and comprised, besides members of the Association, numerous
medical and other persons known to take an interest in the
question. The deputation was introduced by Sir Trevor
Lawrence, and Sir Charles Dilke at once took the opportunity
of stating that the speakers "need not trouble themselves by
going into the general question of the notification of infectious
diseases-, as to which there was no difference of opinion whatever
at the Board," and he asked them to "keep to the question of
the Bill now before the House, that is to say, of making the
powers compulsory over the whole country." Sir Rutherford
Alcock then addressed the President, and was followed by Mr.
Powell, and Mr. Michael, Q.C. Having been requested to
speak, I took the opportunity of recalling to the President's
recollection the action of those Sanitary and Scientific
Authorities who had waited on his predecessor, Mr. Dodson, in
April, 1881, to " request that he would be pleased to bring under
the notice of the Government the desirability of taking measures
for giving effect by legislation " to certain resolutions adopted
at the Conference of Vestries and District Boards of Works, held
at this Town Hall in the previous month; the first of the said
resolutions having reference to "Notification." The President,
in his reply, said—
"There is no difference of opinion amongst us here as to the
advantageous nature of these powers, where they are possessed. We
think the evidence before us from the various localities where they have
been worked is ample on that head. We are not, however, quite ready
to adopt this Bill or to support this Bill in its present form, for there
is great fear, in going at all in advance of public opinion, of our producing
reaction. I think that here we shall be disposed to agree to
general legislation in some form, that is to say, legislation to facilitate
the application of these provisions by local authorities. But the Bill
goes beyond this, and it is not the opinion of the Board that the time