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121
SANITARY LEGISLATION.
Before entering upon customary details of the work of
the Inspectors, Tinder the Nuisances Removal and other Acts, I
may again refer to the "Special Report on Sanitary, Nuisances
Removal, and other cognate Acts," by the Law and Parliamentary
Committee, resulting from an enquiry, on reference by
your Vestry, "Whether the provisions of the various Acts
have been and are being enforced by the Vestry as fully as the
circumstances of the Parish demand; and if not, to advise as to
the steps it is desirable to take for their better enforcement;
and also whether any amendment of the law may appear
necessary ?" The first step taken by the Committee was to
obtain reports from the Surveyor and the Medical Officer of
Health, "with respect to any special matters which in their
judgment have not hitherto received, but which should receive,
the attention of the Vestry." These reports, in the result,
formed the basis of the Committee's enquiry and report, and
with that report, which was unanimously adopted by your
Vestry, were published and widely circulated. It will suffice,
therefore, to say, for my own part in the matter, that attention
was frankly called to all of the points which appeared to me to
require consideration, whether regard be had to failure to
exercise existing powers or to the need for additional powers.
The Committee expressed their views on each point raised, and
made valuable suggestions in regard to "better enforcement"
of the law, and to the need for ''amendment of the law." Their
conclusions, however, were reassuring, for they found that "the
Acts referred to are, upon the whole, satisfactorily administered
in Kensington," and that the Acts themselves are also fairly
sufficient, defect taking the form rather of difficulty in putting
the law into speedy operation than in the terms of the law
itself. The reports were, by your Vestry's direction, reprinted
lately, and forwarded for the information of the members of the
London County Council.