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14
I have very briefly given you the principal purposes of the Act,
and although its machinery is complicated its intentions are good.
Unhealthy dwelling houses can be dealt with more expeditiously
under this act than formerly under the cumbersome Torrens
Act as we have already proved, but with reference to the other
parts of the act sufficent time has not elapsed to enable the
various local authorities to take proceedings under them.
Under this Act the local authority are enpowered to appoint
a Committee, for the purposes of the Act, this the Vestry have
done, and have delegated the Sanitary Committee to act for
them, and take all proceedings under the Act, with the exception
of those requiring the Seal of the Vestry. I may say up
to now this arrangement has worked very well, the Committee
have promptly dealt with all representations made to them.
The above Act is viewed with such importance that the
Housing of the Working Classes Committee of the London
County Council in November last invited a Conference of representatives
of the Vestries and District Boards, to consider the
above Act. This Conference was held on December 5th and every
Vestry in London was represented by two delegates from its
members, its Clerk and Medical Officer of Health. Mr. Coker
and Mr. Lyon were deputed to attend on behalf of your board
as well as the Clerk and myself. On opening the Conference,
the Chairman (Earl Compton) remarked that the object of the
Conference, was that some common understanding might be
arrived at by the Council and the District Boards, as to the best
methods of proceeding under the Act, and also to consider some
of the principal provisions of the same. After considerable
discussion on the various sections the chief interest was centred
in dealing with houses that were unfit for human habitation,
and the only resolutions that were adopted by the Conference,
were as follows :
1.—That in the opinion of this Conference it is desirable that some common
understanding should be arrived at between the County Council and the Vestries and
District Boards in the Metropolis, as to the condition or defects which would render
a house, either permanently or temporarily "so dangerous or injurious to health as to
be unfit for human habitation," within the meaning of the Housing of the Working
Classes Act, 1890.
2.—That with a view to arriving at such common understanding, the Medieal
Officer of Health to the London County Council be requested to convene a meeting of
the Medical Officers of Health of the Vestries and District Boards of the Metropolis
in order that they may report generally on the subject to a subsequent meeting of
this Conference, and, if practicable, submit for consideration a list or schedule of the
conditions and defects which m<»y be considered to render a house " so dangerous or
injurious ro health, as to be unfit for human habitation."
After the above resolutions were passed, the Conference
adjourned. In accordance with the 2nd resolution a meeting
was convened of the Medical Officer of Health to the County
Council, at which I attended, and subsequently the Committee
drew up the following report, which was presented to the second
meeting of the Conference :