How to secure them. 1 1 7 



the premises are kept in a proper sanitary condition, and there- 

 fore they have to deal with the occupier or tenant. Unfor- 

 tunately, the apathy of the landlord and the carelessness of the 

 tenant present serious difficulties to the carrying out of the 

 law. 



I have the greatest satisfaction in referring to the great 

 improvement which has taken place in the health of the 

 city, and this is due in great part to the untiring energy on 

 behalf of the people's comfort and happiness, which has been, 

 and is now being, exercised by the Corporation of Belfast. The 

 Sanitary or Health Department is under the management of 

 the Sanitary Committee. The Medical Superintendent and 

 Executive Sanitary Officer merit all praise for their zeal, 

 courtesy, and forbearance under very trying difficulties. The 

 manner in which the duties of this important department is 

 carried out is creditable to the public officers ; and it is the duty 

 of all right-minded citizens to do all in their power to assist the 

 officers of health in their laborious and responsible duties. 



In dealing with this matter, I should not omit to refer to 

 the very excellent rules of the Belfast Town Council, with 

 reference to that and all other classes of buildings, and I 

 think I may safely affirm that if the rules drawn up by 

 the Council were honestly carried out, the result must be a 

 substantial improvement in the general health of the city, for 

 under them no dwelling need be in an unsanitary condition for 

 the future. The greatest difficulty will be in dealing with the 

 older houses, badly built at first, and now so "run down" in con- 

 dition as to render their proper repair unremunerative ; but no 

 tenant need suffer, for all reasonable complaints will be promptly 

 attended to by the sanitary officers of the City Council. 



Another very great difficulty is in dealing with the careless 

 and slovenly habits of too many of the families of the working 

 classes, no doubt due in a great measure to the training, or want 

 of training, in our ordinary National Schools, and to the very 

 questionable sanitary arrangements with which they are pro- 

 vided. 



