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The owner may, should he think fit, require the Vestry to purchase
the condemned premises instead of doing the work himself, or he may
fight the Vestry at Quarter Sessions upon the question as to the
necessity for such works or such demolition as is required by the
Surveyor.
The Act has been several times amended, and the Medical Officer is
now required to report upon, and the Yestry has power to require the
removal of a building not in itself unhealthy if its situation is such
that it is the cause of unhealthiness in surrounding buildings; and if
such removal improves the value of the surrounding buildings, the
increase may be charged on them; thus they, and not the rates, may
have to pay the cost of removing the obstructive building.
All expenses incurred by the Yestry in carrying out this Act aro to
be defrayed out of a Special Local Rate, which is not to exceed
twopence in the pound per annum.
This Act, therefore, empowers the Yestry to deal with unsanitary
houses in detail, but does not enable them to attack an unhealthy area.
The next Act (Cross's) called "The Artizans' and Labourers'
Dwellings Improvement Act," was passed in 1875. It passes over the
Yestries and requires the Medical Officer of Health to make a representation
direct to the Metropolitan Board of Works should he consider
that any houses, courts, or alleys within a certain area are unfit for
human habitation, or that diseases indicating a generally low condition
of health amongst the population have been from time to time
prevalent in a certain area, and that such prevalence may be reasonably
attributed to the closeness, narrowness, and bad arrangement or
bad condition of the streets and houses within such area, or to the
want of light, air, ventilation, or proper conveniences.
Upon receiving such a Eeport, the Metropolitan Board of Works
takes it into consideration; and, if satisfied of its truth, may resolve
that the area is unhealthy, and prepare a scheme for its improvement,
the whole expenses of which fall upon the general Metropolitan Rate
instead of, as under Torrens's Act, upon the local Eates.
This scheme has to be confirmed provisionally by the Secretary of
State, and subsequently the sanction of Parliament must be obtained.
The Act has been twice amended, in 1879 and in 1882, chiefly in the
direction of regulating the amount of purchase-money and compensation
for compulsory sale. The arbitrator is now required to