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be compelled to register as canal boats. Section 10 of the Canal Boats' Act,
1884, enacts that, " if it shall at any time appear to the Local Government
"Board, on the representation of any registration or Sanitary Authority, or of
"any Inspector appointed under this Act, that the principal, and this Act
"ought to apply to any vessel or class of vessels which would be within the
"definition of canal boat, contained in section 14 of the principal Act, if such
"vessel or class of vessels were not registered under the Merchant Shipping
"Act, 1854, and the Acts amending the same, the Local Government Board
"may declare that the principal Act, and this Act may apply to such vessel or
"class of vessel although the same may be registered as aforesaid, and there"upon
the same shall be deemed to be a canal boat or canal boats within the
"meaning of the Act; and the definition contained in section 14 of the
"principal Act shall be amended accordingly."
The necessity of ensuring notification of infectious disease on so large a
class of vessel, so well calculated to ensure extension of infections, appeared to
be a reasonable ground for representing to the Local Government Board the
advisability of including the sailing barges (already under the Shipping Act)
under the Canal Boats' Act ; and such representation was accordingly made.
After considering the question, unhappily the Local Government Board
found insurmountable difficulties in the way, and they therefore refused the
extension.
Obviously it is still open to the Corporation, as the Port Sanitary Authority,
to promote a Bill in Parliament providing for the compulsory notification of
infectious disease on every vessel within the limits of the Port, irrespective of
class ; and, judging from the experience of other Authorities, this would in all
probability become law. But the expense would be considerable, and it
moreover seems very hard to put an Authority to a large outlay to obtain
that which they ought to be able to obtain by asking.
To avoid this difficulty, I would suggest that the Port Sanitary Authority
should call upon the Local Government Board to obtain powers from
Parliament to sanction Bye-Laws for the notification of diseases, when
applied to by a Sanitary Authority, in the same way and under the same
restrictions as Bye-Laws are now made under the Public Health Act for
other purposes.
I believe this to be possible, and, if carried out, would not only give the Port
Sanitary Authority that power which is absolutely needed for the protection
of the Port, but would also enable other Local Authorities to obtain the same,
if desired, with but little trouble and practically no expense.
It would be of course a much simpler plan for the Government to bring in
a Bill for the notification of disease throughout the country, but, unfortunately,
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