Local Sanitary Authorities. 9 In districts where the Baths and Wash-houses Acts and the Labouring Classes Lodging-houses Acts are not in force, the local Sanitary Authority may adopt and apply them. The Local Government Board may also, on the application of the Sanitary Authority, repeal, alter, or amend any local sanitary acts, diminish the area of the district in which they are in force, or extend their operations to other districts. These are considerable powers indeed. The Local Government Board may separate districts or towns of not less than 6,000 inhabitants from rural districts, and either erect them into urban districts or add them to urban districts already in existence. It may also add any town or other urban district to the rural district adjoining or enclosing it. All this can only be done on petition from the districts affected, and the order of the Board must be confirmed by Parliament before it becomes effective. It is to be hoped that as many small towns as possible may be united with rural districts, as the former sanitary authorities are less likely to put the laws relating to health into force than the Boards of Guardians. Where part of a union is included within an urban district, the representatives from it are not entitled to vote on sanitary questions relating to the rural districts. This is fair enough; but in some cases it will seriously diminish the number of the members of the Boards of Guardians competent to deal with sanitary measures. Out of the thirty-two elected guardians of the South Dublin Union, ten only are representatives of rural districts. For statistical and other reasons it were desirable that the city of Dublin should form a single union, and that the rural divisions of the present South and North Dublin Unions should be erected into separate unions, or joined to rural ones—such as Rathdown. The North Dublin Union Workhouse would answer for a country union, and the South Dublin Workhouse for the city one. A large number of the deaths in these workhouses, which serve to swell the city death rate, should be added to the deaths in the county. Under the Public Health Act every medical officer of a dispensary becomes, ex officio, a medical officer of health. The local authorities are also to appoint, when so required by the Local Government Board, a medical superintendent officer of health, and such other officers as may be necessary for the purpose of carrying the sanitary laws into effect. A portion of the salaries paid to these officials is to be recouped to the local sanitary authorities by Parliament. In England one half of the salaries of the sanitary officers has, up to the present, been paid out of the national exchequer. Presumably, a like proportion of the Irish health officers' salaries will be provided for by Parliament. The act enables sanitary districts, with the approval of the Local Government Board, to combine and virtually form one district for the purpose of obtaining a supply of water, or for sewering the united district, or "for any other purpose of the Sanitary Acts or B 10 Duties of Local Authorities. Burial Ground Acts." In virtue of this power several sanitary districts might unite, and conjointly appoint a superintendent medical officer of health. It is to be hoped that a union of sanitary districts for such a purpose will become general throughout the country; for the emoluments which a single sanitary district could offer would not be likely (except in the case of a few large towns) to secure the services of a well-educated medical man, prepared to devote his whole time to sanitary matters. It is regretable that the Local Government Board has not the power to direct the union of sanitary districts for certain purposes-the appointment of superintendent officers of health (or consulting medical officers of health, as the Local Government Board terms such officers), for example. The chief duties of the sanitary authorities (unfortunately, mostly permissive only) are, to procure supplies of pure water; to prevent the pollution of air and water by foul liquids, gases, vapours, and dirt of all kinds; to prevent overcrowding of dwellings; to see that the houses of the labouring classes are in perfect tenantable order; to prevent the keeping of the lower animals under such conditions as make them a nuisance injurious to health; to check the sale of adulterated, and of diseased and otherwise unsound food; to make sewers; to cleanse the streets and roads; to provide recreation grounds for the people; to erect baths and wash-houses; to take steps for the prevention of the spread of contagious diseases; to bury the very poor, and to provide and maintain burial grounds for rich and poor; to disinfect clothing and bedding; to construct dwellings for artisans. These important duties have hitherto been only performed fully by civic authorities: henceforth they are to be as efficiently (more so, let us hope) discharged by the Boards of Guardians. The Local Government Board has addressed the following circulars to the different sanitary authorities: SANITARY ORDER. No. 1. Relating to Rural Sanitary Districts consisting of entire Unions. To the Guardians of each of the Unions named in the Schedule A to this Order annexed; to the Medical Officers of the Workhouse and of the Dispensary Districts therein; to the Clerk and other paid Officers thereof; and to all whom it may concern, Whereas, by the " Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1874," each of the said unions has been constituted a rural sanitary district, and the guardians of the union are, as such, declared to be the rural sanitary authority: And whereas, by the tenth section of the said act it is enacted that every medical officer of a dispensary district shall be a sanitary officer for such district, or for such part thereof as he shall personally be in charge of, and that every sanitary authority shall appoint in addition such other sanitary officers as the Local Government Board shall in each case direct: Now we, the Local Government Board for Ireland, do, in the case of each union in the said schedule named, direct the guardians to appoint so many sanitary sub-officers as the guardians shall with our consent determine; and we do hereby direct and declare that the relieving officers of the union and the collectors of poor-rates shall be alike eligible for the office of sanitary sub-officer: Local Government Board's Sanitary Orders. 11 And we do hereby further direct that the guardians of the union shall appoint one consulting sanitary officer, and that for this office every medical officer of the union, including the workhouse medical officer or officers, shall be eligible, and also, subject to our approval, any other medical practitioner having the same qualifications; and shall also appoint an executive sanitary officer, for which office the clerk of the union, or any assistant of the clerk appointed by the guardians, shall be eligible. And whereas, by the said tenth section it is further provided that the Local Government Board shall assign to the dispensary medical officers, and to the other sanitary officers, their respective duties and functions in the discovery, or inspection, or removal of nuisances, in the supply of pure water, in the making or repairing of sewers and drains, or in generally superintending the execution of the sanitary laws within the district: Now therefore, we, the Local Government Board, do hereby assign to the sanitary officers and other officers to be appointed under this order their respective duties and functions as follows: I. INSPECTORIAL DUTIES. 1. Every sanitary sub-officer who shall observe, or be informed of any matter demanding, in his opinion, attention from the sanitary officer of the dispensary district in which he has discovered the same, shall notify it forthwith to the sanitary officer in writing, specifying the nature of the case in the Form (a) in the Schedule B to this order annexed, and shall preserve a copy thereof in duplicate. 2. Every sanitary officer who shall have been apprised officially or shall otherwise become cognizant of any matter demanding his attention as aforesaid, shall as soon as conveniently may be visit the locality, and if, after due inspection, he finds such matter to involve danger to public health, he shall report thereon to the board of guardians in the form (b) in the said Schedule B, showing the source from which he received the information, and the date thereof, and the date of his visit of inspection; he shall also give a sufficient description of the nature of the case, and the remedy which he recommends to be adopted, and shall preserve a duplicate of every such report. II. EXECUTIVE DUTIES. 1. The duty of the executive sanitary officer shall be to attend every meeting of the guardians acting as a sanitary authority and to take their directions from time to time on the sanitary business of the board, and on the reports of the sanitary officers, and all proceedings arising thereon, and to see that the same are carried out and brought to a conclusion where practicable, in pursuance of the orders of the board. 2. In furtherance whereof we do hereby direct that every sanitary officer and sub-officer of the union shall, on receiving directions from the executive sanitary officer, attend and assist in all proceedings in which his attendance or assistance may be required. 3. The duty of the consulting sanitary officer shall be to attend meetings of the guardians acting as sanitary authority, whenever required to do so, and to advise them on all matters and proceedings requiring medical knowledge and advice in the administration of the sanitary laws. 4. The proceedings of the board of guardians acting as the sanitary authority shall be recorded in the same manner as the minutes of the proceedings of the board under the Poor Law and Medical Charities Acts, and a copy of such record shall be annexed to the ordinary minutes of proceedings of the board of guardians, and transmitted to the Local Government Board by the clerk of the union, with such last mentioned minutes. III. STATISTICS OF DISEASE. It shall be the duty of the consulting sanitary officer and of the sanitary officers to furnish from time to time to the Local Government Board such statistical returns of sickness and disease in the workhouse and its hospitals, and in the dispensary districts, as shall from time to time be required from them respectively. The first meeting of the rural Sanitary Authority in each case shall be on the day of the second weekly meeting of the board of guardians after the receipt by them of this order. SCHEDULE A, Containing the Names of the Unions to which this Order applies. Local Government Board's Sanitary Orders. 13 FORM (b) (same as in No. 1 Order). SANITARY ORDER. No. II. Relating to Rural Sanitary Districts consisting of Parts of Unions of which other parts are Urban Sanitary Districts. To the Guardians of each of the Unions named in the Schedule A to this Order annexed; to the Medical Officers of the Workhouse and of the Dispensary Districts therein; to the Clerk and other paid Officers thereof; and to all whom it may concern. Whereas, by the "Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1874," a certain defined part of each of the said unions has been constituted a rural sanitary district, and the guardians of the union are, as such, declared to be the rural sanitary authority for the said rural sanitary district, the other part or parts of the said union having been declared by the said act to constitute some urban sanitary district or districts: And whereas, by the tenth section of the said act it is enacted that every medical officer of a dispensary district shall be a sanitary officer for such district, or for such part thereof as he shall personally be in charge of, and that every sanitary authority shall appoint in addition such other sanitary officers as the Local Government Board shall in each case direct : we, Now the Local Government Board for Ireland, do, in the case of each union in the said schedule named, but in respect of such part only thereof as does not consist of some urban sanitary district, direct the guardians to appoint so many sanitary sub-officers as the guardians shall with our consent determine; and we do hereby direct and declare that the relieving officers and the collectors of poor rates shall be alike eligible for the office of sanitary subofficer for such part of the union as aforesaid. (The remaining paragraphs are the same as in No. 1 order.) SCHEDULE A, Containing the Names of the Unions to which this Order applies. Armagh, Athlone, Ballymena, Bandon, Belfast, Carlow, Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel, Coleraine, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, North; Dublin, South; Dundalk, Dungarvan, Ennis, Enniskillen, Fermoy, Galway, Kilkenny, Kinsale, Limerick, Lisburn, Londonderry, Lurgan, New Ross, Newry, Newtownards, Rathdown, Sligo, Tralee, Waterford, Wexford, Youghal. SCHEDULE B. (Forms), same as in No. 1 order. SANITARY ORDER. No. III. Relating to Urban Sanitary Districts. To the Governing Body of each of the Cities, Towns, and Townships named in the Schedule A to this Order annexed; to the Medical Officers of the Dispensary Districts comprised or partly comprised therein; and to all whom it may concern. Whereas, by the "Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1874," each of the said cities, towns, and townships has been constituted an urban sanitary district, and the governing body thereof has been in each case declared to be the urban sanitary authority: And whereas, by the tenth section of the said act it is enacted that every medical officer of a dispensary district shall be a sanitary officer for such district, or for such part thereof as he shall personally be in charge of, and that every sanitary authority shall appoint in addition such other sanitary officers as the Local Government Board shall in each case direct : |