View report page

85
The larger measure, entitled Public Health (London) Law
Consolidation Bill, represents the third attempt to bring to a
focus, as it were, the several Acts dealing with sanitary law in
the Metropolis, which, it will be remembered, is not under the
operation of the Public Health Act, 1875, which did this thing
for the rest of the country. The first of these measures, Public
Health (Metropolis) Bill, was introduced in 1877, by Mr. SclaterBooth
(now Lord Basing), when he was President of the Local
Government Board: its provisions were summarised in my Annual
Report for 1876-7 (page 63). The Bill met with considerable
opposition from the Sanitary Authorities—why, it seems rather
difficult to understand now. In withdrawing it, the President
stated that, "if he re-introduced the Bill, it would be his duty to
amend the Sanitary Law of the Metropolis more than could be
done in a mere consolidation measure but it never fell to his lot
to carry the matter any further. In 1885, the present Prime
Minister introduced the second Bill, having the same title, which
also was mainly a consolidation measure, but with a few amendments
recommended by the Royal Commission on the Housing
of the Working Classes. It did not touch the Metropolis
Management Acts, but as it would have cleared the Statute Book
of 14 statutes, all of which are already repealed as regards the
rest of England, it would have proved very useful: it was,
however, introduced too late in the Session to have any prospect
of passing. Your Vestry, in 1886, at my suggestion, requested
Lord Salisbury to re-introduce the Bill: in declining to do so,
his lordship expressed fear that the chances of any such measure
becoming law were at that time "very remote." There is
reasonable ground for hope that the prospects of the new Bill
becoming law in the current Session are considerable, as consolidation
is earnestly desired by the Sanitary Authorities, and as
the amendments embodied in the Bill are of a minor character
which may be generally agreed upon, not raising any contentious
questions likely to excite serious opposition. If the Bill stood
alone no doubt it would pass: any danger of failure arises in
connection with the Amendment Bill (which doubtless it will be