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162
"In reply, I am directed to inform you, that the Board, while
fully recognising the importance of the suggestions contained in the ably
prepared documents transmitted with your former letter, regrets that, in
view of the wide range of subjects which are sought to be dealt with, it
is not prepared at the present time to promote legislation in the direction
indicated.'
What the Board ''might have" done this year, 1888, it is
useless to speculate. But in view of their (apparently)
pending extinction under the provisions of the Local Government
(England and Wales) Bill, the Board have not thought
it well, and have received no encouragement to promote legislation
this session. Practically, then, almost nothing has
come of the labours of the Committee. The importance of
their work is admitted, the desirability of legislation to give
effect to their recommendations is recognized. That the
matters dealt with may not be lost sight of, I have felt it my
duty again to reproduce the report in abstract, as above.
BILLS IN PARLIAMENT.
At the request of the Law and Parliamentary Committee,
Mr. Cassal, Public Analyst, and myself drew up reports on
certain Bills then before Parliament. They wore the Beer
Adulteration Bill (No. 2), which was rejected by the House
of Commons, and the Butter Substitutes, which passed into
law. I also reported upon Bills entitled Sanitary Registration
of Buildings and Sanitation of Houses (Metropolis), both of which
failed to get passed (vide Annual Report for 1886, pp. 128—132).
In. the current Session, your Vestry having requested my
attention to the provisions contained in the Housing of the
Working Classes Bill and the Housing of Working Classes
(London) Bill, I submitted observations as follows:—
Housing of the Working Classes.— Certain "Amendments
of General Law" are proposed. Thus Clause 2 provides for a
fine on owner of dwelling for disobedience of justices order
requiring abatement, &c., of nuisances, the fine being "in
addition to any daily penalty to which the owner may be liable"
for such disobedience. The existing penalty of (not more than)