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that the Reports would receive early consideration from the
Council." The Reports were referred to the Sanitary Committee
of the Council, who in their Annual Report for 1889-90,
expressly stated that they considered it to be of the greatest
importance that a complete and satisfactory code of sanitary
bye-laws should be made : they added, however, that they had
"met with great difficulties in formulating such bye-laws, on
account of the limitations put upon them by the terms of the
sections," viz., section 202 of the Metropolis Management Act,
above mentioned, and section 23 of the Municipal Corporations
Act, 1882. The 16th section of the Local Government Act,
1888, gives the Council the power of making bye-laws under that
Act, "for the good rule and government of the County or any
specified part thereof, and for the prevention and suppression
of nuisances not already punishable in a summary manner."
The committee hoped it would be possible shortly, to prepare
bye-laws which would meet with the approval of the Council,
but under then existing laws much doubted if this would be
practicable. Accordingly they suggested the incorporation in
the Public Health (London) Consolidation Bill, which it was
thought Mr. Ritchie would introduce in the Session of 1890, of
a more unrestricted power to the Council to make bye-laws;
believing that if this suggestion became law, the Council would
undoubtedly be in a position to prepare bye-laws which
would, if uniformly enforced throughout the County, prove to
be a valuable addition to the Sanitary regulation of London.
I may here mention that, in an Address which I delivered
before the Society of Medical Officers of Health, in October,
1884, I had insisted upon the importance of bye-laws which, I
believed, could have been fralmed under the provisions of
section 202 of the Metropolis Management Act, 1855 ; and
that in April, 1889, I sent a copy of the Address to each
member of the Council. In their Annual Report for
1889, the Sanitary Committee stated that they could not
"too strongly emphasize their opinion that the London