§ MR. CONYBEARE (Cornwall, Camborne)asked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether the complaints made by Mr. Burnett, in his Report as to the insanitary condition of the Cradley District, and the Reports of the Local Government Board Inspectors, are sufficient authority to the Department to enable it to take remedial action under Section 299 of the Public Health Act; and, if not, whether such representations on the subject as will enable him to interfere should be made by any, and, if so, how many, of the resident ratepayers?
§ THE PRESIDENT (Mr. RITCHIE) (Tower Hamlets, St. George's)The Reports of the officers of the Local Government Board are not a sufficient authority for the Board's taking action under Section 299 of the Public Health Act. If a formal complaint is made to the Board by resident ratepayers, in the terms of that section, that the Sanitary Authority have made default in providing the district referred to with sufficient sewers, it will receive the attention of the Board. The Statute does not specify any particular number of resident ratepayers by whom the complaint should be made; but in such cases it is always desirable that those locally interested, in requesting the intervention of a Central Department, should, so far 1771 as possible, unite in making the complaint.