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151
THE COUNTY COUNCIL AND BYE-LAWS.
In the Special Report adverted to, at page 111, I drew attention
to the powers of the Metropolitan Board, under section 202
of the Metropolis Management Act, 1855, to make Bye-Laws
for the guidance of the Vestry with respect to house drainage;
and, under section 138, with respect to the construction of
sewers. I further drew attention to the fact that under section
202 (d) the Board had power to make bye-laws for "works of
cleansing and of removing and disposing of refuse" also—byelaws
which, I thought, might be made to "cover the removal
of refuse from houses and other premises," and so "enable the
sanitary authority to deal with the difficult subject of the
removal of trade refuse of an offensive character, produced
upon the premises of fishmongers, poulterers, greengrocers,
&c." But no bye-laws had been framed by the Board under
these sections. The Committee recommended that the attention
of the Kensington members of the Board be requested to this
matter, and to the further question, Whether the Board's
power to make bye-laws for the above purposes might not be
exercised so as to assist the sanitary authorities in the removal
of refuse of an offensive nature? The members representing
your Vestry on the Board did as requested, but their representations
produced no effect.
The powers of the Board having devolved upon the London
County Council, and it appearing to your Vestry undesirable
that the work of the two Committees should fall to
the ground, fruitless, it was resolved to reprint the two Reports,
and to forward them, together with the reports of the Surveyor
and of the Medical Officer of Health, to the Council and to the
several Members thereof. The Reports were forwarded on the
3rd May, 1889. The covering letter stated that "the Vestry,
believing that legislation framed upon the lines of the suggestions"
(contained in the Reports) "would be conducive to the
interests of public health in the Metropolis, earnestly hoped