View report page

32
of Local Governing Authorities, as by law constituted, and
as tending in the direction of centralization as against the
principles of local self government. The Bill made no
progress and was eventually dropped.
Sanitary Registration of Buildings Bill. —By this Bill
it was proposed to provide for the sanitary registration of
buildings by the appointment of a sanitary registration
authority, under the control of the Local Government
Board; that the Local Government Board should grant
licenses in sanitary practice to certain persons and corporations
; that any buildings to be used as a school, college,
hospital, asylum, hotel, or lodging-house, should not be used
until a sanitary certificate has been issued for same in
accordance with the provisions of the Act, which certificate
should run for five years; and penalties were imposed for
letting or occupying an uncertified building.
The Yestry, however, opposed the Bill for the same
reason as the Sanitation of Houses (Metropolis) Bill, and
it was eventually dropped.
Fire Brigade Expenses.— The Vestry, in December last,
had before them a communication from the Metropolitan
Board of Works, forwarding a statement of their reasons
for proposing that the Fire Insurance Companies, as well
as the ratepayers, shall contribute towards the cost of the
enlargement of the Fire Brigade.
It will be remembered that the present Fire Brigado
Rate is limited to one half-penny in the £, with a contribution
from the Insurance Companies of £35 per million
pounds insured per annum, and the Yestry thought that an
increase of £38,000 per annum, which an additional
farthing in the £ would produce, in addition to the