The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-13 00:00:00

THE BOARD OF REALM'.

There are probably not a dozen persons in this country
who feel any confidence in the Board of Health. Mr.
Chadwick believes in himself, and Lord Shaftesbury be-
lieves in Mr. Chadwick and in Dr. Southwood Smith ;
but it would be exceedingly difficult to name any one
who participates in his lordship's opinion of those gentle-
men. For Lord Shaftesbury individually a large part
of the community feels admiration, sympathy, and re-
spect ; but his semi-official character as a member of the
G-wydyr House department is not even generally known,
and it is a flagrant anomaly to entrust administrative
functions to an unpaid member of the Legislature, who
is in no way responsible to a Cabinet to which he may,
perhaps, be politically opposed. It is perfectly natural,
however, that an active philanthropist should welcome
the opportunity of carrying out, in an official capa-
city, the schemes to which his personal energies have
long been devoted. Lord Shaftesbury wishes to improve
the dwellings of the poor, and to provide them, by com-
pulsion if necessary, with the means of obtaining air,
light, and cleanliness ; and these or similar objects were
contemplated by the Legislature when the Board of
Health was constituted—water supply, flushing of
sewers, removal of nuisances, as well as many other salu-
tary provisions, being included in the clauses of the Pub-
lic Health Act. The members of the Board were all
enthusiasts in their way, and they were eager to exercise
their powers to the utmost, until it should be the will of
Parliament, at some future time, to enlarge their attri-
butes. The utter failure in which their indefatigable
activity has resulted may, in some degree, be ascribed to
the individual characters of the functionaries employed ;
but it was impossible that a Board so viciously con-
stituted could work satisfactorily.
Experience has abundantly shown that no secondary
public department can be prudently trusted with large
administrative powers. No amount of personal ability
will supply the want of that authority which the great
officers of State derive fe an the confidence reposed in
them by Parliament and by the country. A head-
clerk may possibly be superior, both in general capa-
city and in special knowledge, to a Secretary of State ;
but he is not recognised by the community at large
as the legitimate depositary of the executive power.
So long as the spirit of our constitution remains
unaltered, the leaders of Parliamentary parties must
necessarily enjoy a monopoly of the higher administra-
tion. The established method of deciding contests for
the possession of the functions of Government is proba-
bly as little objectionable as any other which could be
devised ; but, be this as it may, it is enough for the
present to know that it exists. The Board of Health,
having been authorised to exercise certain powers, soon
found that it was necessary to obtain the control of suf.-
ficent funds for carrying out its various projects ; but,
whenever the demand was preferred, the Minister of the
day refused an application which was undoubtedly in,
consistent with the ordinary course of administration.
Mr. Chadwick and his colleagues consoled themselves
for their failure, not only by straining to the utmost their
legitimate powers, but also by extra-official activity in
publishing pamphlets, which were generally marked by
charlatanism, and by encouraging popular agitation on
sanitary questions. The paid members of the Board
have always been remarkable for their disposition to
substitute official interference for every kind of
spontaneous movement, whilst their titular chief
has spent his entire life in the atmosphere of platform
excitement ; and successive Ministers have uniformly
found it necessary to refuse their co-operation to the
Board, so soon as they became acquainted with its
practical working. Lord Seymour took the lead in de-
nouncing their mischievous quackery—Sir George Grey
overruled their obstinate opposition to all rational plans
for improving the water supply of the metropolis—and
Sir William Molesworth had determined to go to the
root of the evil by remodelling the entire department,
and had actually prepared a bill for the purpose.
Lord Shaftesbury's influence has, however, once more
beme to the rescue of his own authority and of the Board.
Lord Palmerston has unfortunately been induced, from
deference to the ornamental head of the department, to
take the question out of the hands of his colleague,
and to claim for the Home-office a class of functions
which a Secretary of State has neither the leisure nor
the means to disoharge. Under the provisions of
the Bill now before Parliament the Board will be
retained without any material change, and Mr. Chad-
wick and Dr. Southwood Smith will continue to render
sanitary reform odious by circulating, at the public ex-
pense, absurd and exaggerated statements. Whenever
an indignant member asks a question in the House of
Commons with reference to the proceedings of the de-
partment, the Home Secretary will blandly give utter-
ance to some answer with which he will have been pre-
viously supplied ; whilst, in the House of Lords, Lord
Shaftesbury will still enjoy the privilege of defending his
colleagues in the official tone which might become a
responsible minister. The new bill is evidently founded
on the assumption that, although the system has become
too unpopular to be defended, it is desirable to change
it as little as possible ; and, in fact, had Lord Shaftes-
bury brought forward a measure drawn by Mr. Chad-
wick, it would probably not have differed widely from
Lord Palmerston's attempt at legislation.
Any efficient reform of this branch of the public ser-
TiCe must start from the principle that there is no occa-
sion for the existence of a Board. The Chief Commis-
sioner of Works is not adequately employed, and there
is no reason why he should not combine with his present
duties those of Minister of Public Health ; nor can the
personal respect entertained for Lord Shaftesbury
justify Parliament in entrusting important administra-
tive powers to an unpaid, irresponsible, and practi-
cally irremovable functionary. According to the bill as it
stands, either the third member of the Board or the Se-
cretary of State is a superfluity—according to the bill as
it ought to be, the Minister of Public Health would not
require an amateur colleague, however high in rank or
benevolent in intentions. The remaining and supple-
mental condition of a sound measure on the subject is,
that it should place the whole department in due
subordination to the chief. A Parliamentary func-
tionary, responsible for all that takes place in the
office, will be able to avail himself of the advice of his
assistants, while he retains in his own hauds the final
decision of all questions, large and small. This clear
and intelligible principle of administration is so well
established in this country by practice and experience,
that it is scarcely necessary to argue on the expediency
of assimilating a moderate department to those of older
date ; and no personal considerations ought to be al-
lowed to stand in the way of so necessary and obvious
a reform.—Morning Chronicle. I

CRYSTAL PALACE. —WEDNESDAY (SHILLING DAY).—
Number of season tickets sold to this date, 20,370. Ad-
mission at the doors, 9,867 ; admission by season
! tickets, cO9-14,757.

BIRTHS.
OF A SON.

On the 10th inst., at Rainthorpe-Hall, Norfolk, th°
Hon. Mrs. Frederic Walpole.
On the 11th inst., in Belgrave-square, Lady Octavio
Shaw Stewart.