§ In answer to Sir JOHN TROLLOPE,
MR. BOUVERIEsaid, in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee which some time since inquired into the subject, an order had recently been issued by the Poor Law Board directing that the appointments of Medical Officers to Poor Law Unions should be made permanent. Their salaries were fixed by the Poor Law Guardians, and the funds from which they were paid were partly the rates levied in their districts, and partly from a Vote of that House. In those cases in which the remuneration was extremely low the Poor Law Board endeavoured to procure an addition to it, but he was sorry to say that, generally speaking, the Poor Law Guardians were not disposed to agree with the Poor Law Board as to the propriety of such addition. Unless the Poor Law Board entered into a violent contest with the Boards of Guardians on that subject—which he was not at all prepared to do—it would be very difficult to obtain an increase of the salaries. He ought at the same time to state that, in a great number of Unions, the medical officers were sufficiently remunerated. There could be no doubt that the great body of them discharged their duties with fidelity and diligence. Any one acquainted with the present operation of the Poor Law must admit that a great improvement had been effected in the administration of medical relief to the poor. He could not, however, hold out any hopes to the medical officers that their salaries would be increased by means of an increased Vote of that House, because the House had been reluctant to grant even the usual Vote under the head of Poor Law Medical Relief. As occasion permitted, the area within which the medical officers had to discharge their duties would be diminished.