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228
the Report of Her Majesty's Commissioners for enquiring into
the Housing of the Working Classes.
The labours of the Commission have hitherto borne little
fruit—probably because of the disturbed state of the political
world, which takes little heed of questions which concern health
and life merely. The report itself did scant justice to the work
of the sanitary authorities, which, though carried on under
pressure of many difficulties, has had the effect of making London
the cleanest, best paved, best drained, best lighted, safest
and healthiest of great cities. The existing system of local
government may not be perfect, but under it much good work
has been done, work that is not likely to be surpassed under any
change in the form of local government.
The Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, brought in a Public
Health (Metropolis) Bill in the Session of 1885, which, as a
measure for consolidating, with some few useful amendments,
existing scattered statutes, fourteen in number—all bearing
more or less on the question under consideration—would have
proved useful to Sanitary Authorities and sanitary officials
alike. But there was not time to pass the Bill. Your Yestry
having requested Lord Salisbury to reintroduce the Bill last year,
his lordship expressed his fear that the chances of any such
measure becoming law are at present very remote.
The Housing of the Working Classes (England) Act, 1885,
to which I adverted in my report for 1885 is a well-intentioned
measure, which, however, has not borne much fruit hitherto. It
is not without value, however, containing as it does
powers which may be found useful for promoting some of the
objects it was intended to subserve.
THE LIABILITIES OF LANDLORDS.
From time to time cases come before the Courts which serve
the useful purpose of defining the duties and liabilities of landlords
and the rights of tenants. An action of this nature, of
considerable interest to landlords and tenants, was tried in the