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interpretation, for the guidance of those whose duty it will be
to carry out the Act, which, as the circular letter truly states,
"has made a large number of important amendments of the
law."The Board's letter concludes as follows:—
"The number and complexity of the enactments relating to the public
health in London has, no doubt, occasioned the Local Authorities
considerable difficulty in the performance of their duties. The Board
believe, however, that this difficulty, and others which depend upon the
form of the existing enactments, or the want of provisions which
experience has shown to be required for the proper administration of the
law, will now be found to have been removed, and they trust that the
Sanitary Authority will use every effort to carry out efficiently the large
and important powers in relation to the public health of which they are
now possessed."
Commenting on the above letter, I ventured to observe, in
my twelfth monthly report, that "for the due exercise of these
powers, close and sustained attention will be necessary on the
part of the Sanitary Authority, and probably the best way
to ensure this attention would be by the appointment of a
Standing Committee, which might well be named The
Public Health Committee, whose duty it should be to
carry out the Public Health and Sanitary Acts, to wit—the
Public Health (London) Act, which consolidates in whole
or in part thirty-five Acts, the Housing of the Working
Classes Act, 1890, the Factory and Workshop Acts, and certain
unrepealed drainage and other sections of the Metropolis
Local Management Acts."
The Board at the same time addressed a circular letter to
the several boards of Guardians, calling their attention to
section 3 of the Act, "which makes it the duty of every
Relieving Officer, in accordance with the regulations of the
authority having control over him, to give information to the
Sanitary Authority of any nuisance in their district liable to be
dealt with summarily under the Act," and pointing out that
"the section further provides that it shall be the duty of the
Authority having control over the officer to make such regula-