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15
may be adopted, with or without amendments, under the enabling
powers contained in Section 15 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938.
Any variations from the Model Bye-laws will, of course, require the
Minister's approval but the Minister has indicated that he appreciates
that local authorities are the best judges of the requirements
of their particular areas and that he would be prepared to approve
any reasonable amendment which the authorities feel they can
operate effectively.
At the end of the year, the Model Bye-laws were under consideration
by the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee,
whose findings will be sent to the London County Council, the
Bye-law authority for London.
The maintenance of housing accommodation in a satisfactory
condition continues to place heavy burdens upon local authorities.
Due to the amount of direct and indirect damage to housing property,
the many years of neglect of maintenance, and the existing high costs
and shortage of building materials and labour, the present housing
position compares very unfavourably with pre-war years when costs
of repairs were so much lower and there was an abundance of the
required materials. Nevertheless, it is the duty of a local authority,
so far as it lies within their power, to ensure at least a reasonable
standard of housing accommodation, while at the same time recognising
the difficulties of the owners in fulfilling these requirements.
Prior to the war, very little difficulty was experienced in
securing compliance with sanitary notices, but that the position is
now very different, is shown by the fact that, whereas in 1938,
summonses under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936 numbered
only 22, in the years 1948 and 1949, the corresponding numbers
were 123 and 252 respectively, and whilst it is regretted that so
frequent recourse to legal proceedings is now necessary, the local
authority and the public health department must continue to do
their utmost to comply with the duties placed upon them, despite
the fact that they frequently receive unsympathetic consideration
from the magistrates by whom the summonses are heard and very
harsh criticism from owners of property.
One frequently sees in the press letters from property owners,
such as that from which an extract is quoted below, complaining
bitterly of the action taken by local authorities to maintain a
reasonable standard of housing accommodation in their districts and
pointing out that, although rents are controlled at pre-war levels,
the cost of repairs have increased enormously.
"Besides having the honour of being Chairman of the
Property Owners' Protection Association, I am, and have been