NOTES 173 



Medical Officer of Health for the city, does not convince 

 the reader that the Dublin Corporation manages its sani- 

 tary matters very effectively. The housing of the poor 

 appears to be in a wretched condition, and the reason for this 

 is probably that the Dublin Corporation is much influenced 

 by the slum landlord, who is generally a man who tries to 

 get as much out of his property as possible — a common thing. 

 Apparently the corporation seldom compels him to expend 

 money on repairs and on sanitary improvements. The infant 

 mortality in the slums is very great, and the total death-rate 

 of the city was as high as 37*8 per thousand in 1880. During 

 the last ten years it has fallen to 24*8 per thousand — while in 

 London the annual rate is only about 14 per thousand. Even 

 in the North Dublin Union Workhouse, where one would 

 expect proper sanitation, the arrangements appear to be very 

 unsatisfactory. Recently a very strong report on the subject 

 has been issued by a deputation of working men from Man- 

 chester, who describe the slums as being of " incredible 

 squalor" {Morning Post, May 11, 1914). 



It is not possible to say whether the sanitation of Dublin, 

 bad as it appears to be, is very much worse than that of 

 many towns in the United Kingdom. Certainly it is not 

 worse than that of many towns in British colonial possessions. 

 The subject is one of very great importance, because it is 

 open to question whether municipal government is not granted 

 too easily to populations which seem scarcely competent to use 

 it properly. The theoretical considerations upon which such 

 powers have been given are perhaps sound. It is supposed 

 that in an ideal State every person will possess political 

 morality and political wisdom ; and even where this ideal is 

 not reached, that municipal government will exert an educating 

 effect upon the people. But, in the world as it is, a very 

 small proportion of the public possess both political morality 

 and political wisdom. Even if many are entirely honest, few can 

 possibly have the detailed knowledge of municipal administration 

 which fits them to conduct such administration in the council of 

 their municipality. This must especially be the case in very 

 small municipalities; and the result is that in them we often find 

 all sanitary matters to be in a deplorable condition. One can 

 understand that a great city will possess enough competent 

 citizens to regulate its sanitary administration ; but this becomes 



