BOARD OF HEALTH.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1952, 27 May 1880, Page 3

BOARD OF HEALTH.

A special meeting of this Board was held on Wednesday afternoon, to take into consideration certain resolutions which had been passed affecting its position as a local Board of Health. There were present—Mr Harman (chairman), and Messrs Brown, Blakiston, Hobbs, Boss, and Duncan.

' The Chairman stated the object of meeting, and then informed the Board that the City Council had passed certain resolutions involving an alteration in the administration of the functions of the Board of Health, which resolutions had been handed to the members of the House of Bepresenlatives for Christohurch City, for their guidance in view of future legislation on the subject. He had taken a copy of the resolutions, which he would read. The resolutions referred to were to the

I following effect : —" The proviso of section 14 I of the Public Health Act, 1876, enaoting that the Ohristchurch Drainage Board shall be the sole Local Board of Health for the district therein mentioned, and shall exercise and perform certain rights, powers and duties, and that no other local board shall have exercise or perform any powers, rights or duties which shall or may obstruct or interfere with the powers, rights, or duties thereby vested in the'Christohuroh Drainage Board, is hereby repealed.—The City Council of the city of Ohristchurch shall be the Local Board of Health for the city of Ohristchurch, and shall have, exercise and perform all powers, rights and duties given or conferred by the Public Health Act, 1876, to Local Boards of Health, and no other local boards shall have, exercise or perform any powers, rights or duties which shall or may obstruct or interfere with the powers, rights and duties hereby vested in the Council of the city of Ohristchurch.— The Ohristchurch Drainage Board shall be the sole Local Board of Health for the residue of the district con-

stitutea by the Public Health Act, 1876, Amendment Act, 1879, (after excepting thereout the city of Ohristohuroh), and shall have, exercise and perform all the powers, rights, and duties given or conferred by the Public Health Act, 1876, to Local Board of Health, and no other local board shall have, exercise, or perform any powers, rights, or duties whioh shall or may obstruct or interfere with the powers, rights, or duties hereby vested in the Christchurch Drainage Board."

The Chairman pointed out that the effect of the above resolutions was, first of all, that the Ohrislchuroh District Drainage Board should cease to be the Local Board of Health for the city of Ohristchurch; secondly, that the City Council should take its place ; and thirdly, that the Christohuroh District Drainage Board should continue to be the Board of Health for the remaining portion of the district outside the city of Christohuroh. His (Mr Harman's) opinion was that they might agree to the first proposal, provided the Ohristchurch District Drainage Board ceased to be a local Board of Health ; but it was quite another thing to ask them to recommend what should be done when they ceased to be a local Board of Health. Such a recommendation, no doubt, might be of some value, but the opinion of the ratepayers generally might be worth quite as much as theirs. As to the tbird proposal, he for one most emphatically objected to the Drainage Board continuing as a local Board of Health for the district outside the city after giving up control of the city to another body. When a discussion with the City Council took place two years ago, on the same subject, the committee of the Drainage Board emphatically said " we will have all or none " —meaning that they were not willing to take the residue of the district. Ho (Mr Harman) was one of that committee, and held the same opinion still. It would be an exceedingly unsatisfactory arrangement. With these remarks he* would leave the matter in the hands of the Board.

Mr Boss, as one of the committee appointed to meet tho Council, endorsed what the chairman had said. If it were generally agreed to make the change, and incur the extra expense that would be entailed, he saw no objection. At the same time, unless every part of the district agreed, he thought they should be chary of agreeing to any ouch division of authority as proposed. Mr Hobbs pointed out that when tho Act was first passed it was understood that there should be a central Board with local Boards for the different districts, but experience had shown that to be a farce, and the present position of the Board was one of an anomalous character. The position of the Council, too, was one of difficulty, with regard to inspection, they having been defeated in every case brought against offenders for neglecting to have night soil removed, and they ought to be placed on a more satißfaotory footing, especially as tho city had carried out the work for the last two years in a fairly successful manner. The Counoil had no power under their by-laws, and as they could only have that power under the Local Board of Health, he should support most heartily their application.

Mr Boss thought the Board should do as they had done before, namely, throw the responsibility uponj Parliament. He might aIBO say here that he considered the geographical features of the district such as required that it should be under the control of one central Board of Health. Mr Hobbs said the mistake of the Act of 1877 was the connection of the populous parts of the district with the rural districts. The Chairman had reason to think that the borough of Sydenham wished this Board to retain the powers they at present exercised. Mr Duncan believed that the same opinion obtained in the Heathcote.

Mr Brown supported the view of the case taken by Mr Ross. At the same time he thought thß City Council were quite as capable of doing the work as this Board if they had sufficient jurisdiction. He could not, however, see the object of the Board of Health handing over the control of the city and retaining that of the suburban districts, the interests of each being identical, and it would necessitate extra expense without, he believed, affording any greater efficiency, if so much. The Chairman read resolutions previously passed by the Board on the subject now before them. Mr Duncan said the duties were thrust upon the Drainage Board, and he did not think any alteration should be made unless this Board were communicated with and the local bodies outside placed in the same position as the City Council. He had always been of opinion that a Central Board of Health for the district was the most desirable course, but the Council appeared to be of a different opinion, and doubtless they had an array of facts to support them. At present the Bystem wbb the reverse of satisfactory, the work being divided so that as it were the Drainage Board got the honor and the Council got the half-pence, this being applicable to the Bcavengering. He quite agreed that if the Board was to part with any portion of its power it should give up all, the City Council and the Iload Boards being quite as able to carry out the duties as the Drainage Board. The objection to that syßtem, howover, was the expense, which, there could be no doubt, would be far in excess of that involved at present, as each body would have to appoint its own medical officer and inapec tor, and the public would have to pay through the nose for it.

Mr Brown hoped, if any resolution were passed at all it would be to the effect that, until they were asked by all the districts, they could not revert to the condition of things in 1875. Mr Sobs said he should be pleased to be relieved of the responsibility of the office, but to accept the position suggested by the City Council, without reference to the wishes of the outside districts, would, he thought, be to stultify themselves. The Chairman, at this stage, pointed out that the resolutions under consideration had not come from the City Council, but from the City Members, with the request that the Board would forward to them any resolutions the Board might arrive at on the subject, for their guidance. Further discussion of a desultory character took place, three different suggestions being made by Messrs Boss, Brown and Duncan, respectively, which were considered at somelength. Ultimately the following resolution, by Mr Duncan, was carried : —" That the Local Board of Health for the Christchurch Drainage District,having under its consideration rololutions (forwarded by the Members of the House of Representatives for the city) having for their object.the City Council being made the Local Board of Health for the City, the remainder of the district remaining as heretofore, the local Board are of opinion that one body should have entire control of the whole of the city and Buburbs, although not necessarily the Drainage Board. The present Board, will ' offer no objection to the City Council and 1

the several Bond Boards being made Boards of Health, but considers that it would be inadvisable that the Board should give up its jurisdiction over one part unless the other districts request to be dealt vita in a similar manner. That, failing an agreement upon this subject being come tojby the city, the borough of Sydenham, and the several Road Boards, it may be desirable that power should be given by the Legislature to this Board for delegation of its powers under the Public Health Act, 1876, to any looal authority within the Board's jurisdiction." This concluded the official business, and after arranging some matters of detail the Board adjourned.