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113
PUBLIC HEALTH (LONDON) ACT, 1891.
The session of 1891 will be memorable for the passing of
the Public Health (London) Act, a measure which consolidates
and amends the laws relating to public health, no fewer than
thirty-five acts named in the Third Schedule being incorporated.
It was not the first time that the Government of the
day had made an attempt to reduce the chaos of Sanitary
Law to something like order ; for so far back as 1877 the then
President of the Local Government Board (Mr. Sclater-Booth,
now Lord Basing), had sought to attain the same object by
bringing in a Public Health (Metropolis) Bill, the provisions of
which were summarised in my Report for 1876-77 (page 63).
The Bill met with considerable opposition from the Sanitary
Authorities—why, it is 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
measurebut it never fell to his lot to carry the matter any
further. In 1885, the present Prime Minister introduced
another 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 was brought in too late in the session
to have any prospect of passing. Your Vestry at my suggestion
requested Lord Salisbury to re-introduce the Bill in 1886. His
Lordship declined, believing that "the chances of any such
measure becoming law were" at that time "very remote." The
Act of last Session was introduced in the form of two Bills
entitled respectively, Public Health (London) Laic Consolidation,
and Public Health (London) Law Amendment. To the former
no objection was offered by the Sanitary Authorities, who,
however, took exception to many of the provisions contained in
the latter. The two Bills were amalgamated into one, after
second reading, with various amendments, by the Standing
Committee on Law. The Act consolidates among others the
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