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8
References are made to other legal proceedings of interest
under the sections relating to housing and to legal proceedings
under the Public Health Act, which appear in the body of the
report.
New Legislation.
The Rag Flock and other Filling Materials Act, 1951, and the
London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1951, were both of
considerable interest and the London County Council (General
Powers) Act of particular importance to the Public Health
Department.
The former Act, which requires, with certain exemptions, the
registration of all premises where business necessitating the use of
filling materials is carried on, and the licensing of all premises
used for the manufacture or storage of rag flock, came into
operation on the 1st November, 1951, and at the end of the year 31
premises had been registered for the use of filling materials and one
licensed to store rag flock.
Section 16 of the Act contains a valuable power designed to
prevent the use of unclean flock by giving an authorised officer of
the local authority the right to exercise his powers under the Act
in the area of another local authority, if that authority give permission,
thus enabling an officer finding dirty material in a finished
article or on registered premises to pursue his investigation back
to the souroe from which the dirty material originated.
Although this Act is in many ways an advance on previous
legislation, the fact that premises where any articles are reconditioned
or remade are exempted from registration produces a most
unsatisfactory position, particularly since it is in this type of
business that unclean filling materials are more likely to be used.
The London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1951,
brings the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, into line with the
Housing Act, 1936, by making provision, in cases where the Council
has carried out work required under the Act in the owners'
default, for the recovery of expenses incurred either summarily as
a civil debt, or by instalments from the person who is the owner at
the time when the work is completed or the demand for the recovery
of expenses is served. Furthermore, the Council is empowered to
secure the expenses recoverable bv a charge on the property in the
same manner as under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1936.
There are, however, certain disadvantages resulting from the
operation of this Act: for instance, the words "forthwith or within
such reasonable time as may be specified in the notice" are now
deleted from the provisions for serving notices under Section 40
(defective or choked drains) and Section 109 (defective sanitary
conveniences) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936; and a