The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-11 00:00:00

sent Act distinctly assigns duties to the guardians and
poor-law officers as well as to surveyors and others
charged with the management of roads and surface
cleansing. The provision for this purpose is new.
The former was a temporary Act; the present is per-
manent. The present, like the former Act, is applicable
to the whole of the United Kingdom. The only excep-
tion is in the cases of " districts " formed under the
Public Health Act, where, in order to prevent conflicting
jurisdiction, a discretion will be exercised by the General
Beard of Health as to how far the present Act shall be
applied.
The guardians will observe that by the second part of
the Act the Board of Health are charged with the duty
of preparing regulations which the union and parochial
officers are required to enforce in the event of the country
being afflicted or threatened with any formidable epi-
demic, endemic, or contagious disease.
The progressive advance of a formidable epidemic to
the western part of Europe has, in the opinion of Govern-
ment, rendered necessary the enforcement of the Act.
An order in Council has accordingly been issued for put-
ting it in force throughout the kingdom.
The guardians and the union and other local officers
must now, therefore, in compliance with these provisions,
act upon all regulations which they may receive froth the
General Board of Health for such places as that Board
may deem to require them; and on questions regarding
the execution of this part of the Act the guardians
may communicate directly with the General Board of
Health.

It must be stated to the guardians that on the subject
matters of the present Act, and on the means for the
prevention both of disease and of the destitution arising
from sickness and premature mortality, the General
Board of Health propose to communicate information
specially adapted for the guidance of medical and other
officers, by means of an official circular, which will be
issued in the carpe form, and may be taken at the dis-
cretion of guardians in the same manner as the official
circular of the Poor-law Board.

While upon the subject of this statute, which relates
to the prevention of the disease, the Board think it well
to mention, though it does not immediately affect the
guardians, that by see. 67-of the Public Health Act, the
churchwardens and overseers are required from time to
time, after the passing of that Act, to give public notice
as to the provisions with respect to the occupation of
cellars and underground rooms, and that these provi-
sions are imperative, whether the Public Health Act is
in force within their parish or not.
In conclusion, the Board think it' desirable to repeat
the following observations of the late Commissioners
made in their circular letter of the Bth October, 1846:

" The improvement of the sanitary condition of the
poorer classes tends so greatly to remove many of the
causes of destitution and pauperism, that the money
judiciously expended on such an object, now sanctioned
by the Legislature, in the case to which the statute ap-
plies, will be found to be most profitably laid out, even
in r.-terence to the more direct object of the duties of the
guardians." ,
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
W. G. LUMLEY, Assistant Sec.