1867.J ( 297 ) 



THE PUBLIC HEALTH. 



During the past three months the public has had an opportunity of 

 seeing what can be done by the "Sanitary Act of 1866." Powers 

 are there given to local bodies to act with much more energy than 

 under any previous sanitary enactment, but as yet little benefit 

 has been recorded as the result of these powers. The " permissive " 

 character of all our previous legislation is still the bane of this Act, 

 and our local authorities turn a deaf ear to the allurements presented 

 by the government. If all our criminal legislation were put upon 

 the permissive basis, there is little doubt that in some' parishes the 

 vestries would not take the trouble to prosecute those who were 

 guilty of the crime of murder. This Act nowhere says it shall be 

 unlawful for a man to keep his house and premises in such a state 

 that he may kill his neighbours, but it gives to the local authorities 

 power, if they think fit, so to prosecute and punish him. The mis- 

 chief is the local authorities do not punish, nor act even, if they see 

 a man poisoning and killing his neighbours by his dirty and filthy 

 economy. This Act gives the Home Secretary power to compel 

 vestries to act upon cases where manifest evils result from allowing 

 nuisances injurious to health to exist, but the Home Secretary is as 

 chary as a vestryman about taking action in particular cases, and 

 front this cause at present little has been done. 



The 35 th clause of this Act has, however, excited some attention, 

 and in London, Liverpool, and other towns there has been some 

 discussion as to how it may be carried out. This clause gives power 

 to the vestries and local boards to frame regulations for the conduct 

 of all houses let out in lodgings, or where more than one family is 

 residing and paying rent to a common landlord. This provision is 

 intended to meet the necessity of a large proportion of the population 

 of our large towns, who are merely lodgers and have no power of pro- 

 viding against various nuisances injurious to health, for which alone 

 the landlord is responsible. Under the provisions of this Act, 

 the nuisance authority is empowered to make regulations for the 

 following matters, that is to say: — 1. For fixing the number of 

 persons who may occupy a house or part of a house which is let in 

 lodgings or occupied by mechanics of more than one family. 2. 

 For the registration of houses thus let or occupied in lodgings. 3. 

 For the inspection of such houses and the keeping the same in a 

 cleanly or wholesome state. 4. For enforcing therein the provision 

 of privy accommodation and other appliances and means of clean- 

 liness in proportion to the number of lodgers and occupiers, and 



