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that by the judicious regulation of lodging houses
of certain kinds, and in certain localities, very much
good might be effected, and much advantage would
accrue both to the lodgers and to the public. But
it is clear that it ought never to have been left to
individual Vestries, in a place like London, to adopt
or not adopt the enactments referred to simply
according to their pleasure, still more that they
should never have been allowed to frame inconsistent
orders or regulations. It is possible that the 35th
Section of the Act of 1866 was framed tentatively
with the object of learning by experience what kind
of regulations were best adopted for the Metropolis,
and how best they might be made effective. But if so the
opportunity offered by the Amendment Act of 1874
might have been seized, not for giving an empty
power to the Local Government Board, but for
requiring the Metropolitan Board of Works to frame
suitable regulations for the whole of the Metropolis,
which the Vestries might have been required to
enforce, as they are required to enforce other provisions
of the Sanitary Acts. It is not too late to
do this.
JOHN SYER BRISTOWE, M.D., F.R.S.,
Medical Officer of Health.
January 15th, 1884.