188 Social Science Congress. 
means be produced, and he would support it to the utmost” 
of his power. His bill would compel all local anthorities 
to hold themselves responsible for the existence of fever 
nests, and for the omission to pull down decayed tenements 
and rebuild them, with the aid of such powers as the Legis- 
lature would be enabled to bestow. 
Mr. E. CHADWICK and Sir CHRISTOPHER RAWLINSON 
addressed themselves more particularly to the commercial 
part of the question, the former contending that a great 
deal of the cost of modern dwellings owed itself to the 
fixed building regulations, and to the settled habits of 
architects in the formation of their designs. He was fully 
assured that by an improved mode of construction, such 
buildings as those erected by Alderman Waterlow would 
yield a profit amounting to 7 instead of 5 per cent. 
Mr. R. ARTHUR ARNOLD, Government Inspector of 
Public Works, read a paper “On the Economy of Public 
Works.” In the division of labour which might be said to 
be both the cause and the effect of civilisation, there are 
certain functions which universally appertain to the Go- 
vernment, whether it be what is termed local and subor- 
dinate, or central and imperial. First amongst such func- 
tions he would be disposed to rank the maintenance of 
the authority of law; but as second, the execution of pub- 
lic works or such control of them as the condition of the 
community may render desirable. First; in importance 
among such works are the means of intercommunication. 
In this country it has happened that the original system in 
respect to communication between town and town has been 
superseded by railways, which have been constructed by 
private enterprise, and are not in any sense, the property 
of the nation. Noman would affirm as a fundamental pro- 
position that the highways of a country should be private 
property. The present system was a wasteful one. The 
average cost of construction in France has been 425,000 
per mile against £39,000 in England; £6,000 at least of 
this difference is chargeable to the difference of our system. 
This would represent a total loss of £78,000,000. But even 
this does not represent the measure of this defective economy. 
In all probability the forthcoming report of the railway com- 
mission will show that the public interest in the cheap and 
economic conveyance of their persons and property, is of 
transcendant importance. It is not very difficult to per- 
ceive that thorough unanimity of direction would more 
nearly assimilate the railway to the ancient highway system. 
