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more than ever unjust to blame sanitary authorities for neglect of
duty, whether directly, as is so often done by the unknowing, or by
implication, as in the letter of the President of the Local Government
Board. In any case, happily, consolidation of the law will
be of material assistance to those whose duty it is to give effect
to the decrees of the legislature.
Addendum.—Housing of the Working Classes.—On the
24th June, 1889, Mr. Ritchie moved the second reading of two Bills
dealing with this question, which had been introduced by himself,
Mr. Matthews (Home Secretary), and Mr. Long. In my sixth
monthly report (June 16th) I referred to these Bills in the following
terms:—" The Acts dealing with the dwellings of the working
classes (including Lord Shaftesbury's, Torrens's, and Cross's Acts),
are 13 in number ranging from the Labouring Classes Lodging
Houses Act, 1851, to the Housing of the Working Classes Act,
1885. All of these measures the Government propose to consolidate
by a ' Housing of the Working Classes Acts Consolidation
Act.' Few amendments have been introduced in the
Bill, and those not of material importance from a sanitary point of
view; some of them being intended to remove doubts as to interpretation,
and others making the new measure consonant with
previous legislation. A few provisions of the existing Acts no
longer required are repealed. The subjects dealt with in the Bill
have received a good deal of attention from the Housing of the
Working Classes Committee of the County Council, who recently
had an important interview with the Home Secretary, in order, as
they state in their Annual Report, to place before him suggestions
which, if carried out, would make Torrens's Acts more workable.
' The difficulties in the way of dealing with insanitary areas were
represented to him The Committee suggested that in
order to put a local authority in motion the Council should have
the power of requiring the local Medical Officer to report; that
in the case of demolition the local authority, or, failing it, the
Council should have the same powers of compulsory purchase as
the Acts give with regard to obstructive buildings; that where