committee had received the provisional order on the 7th instant, and had since held several meetings in which they had fully discussed the matter. They had advised some amendments on the provisional order — some clauses from the Local Acts which the Board of Health had struck out, being recommended for retention, and vice versa. Some discussion had also arisen as to why one clause in the St. Leonards Act was retained which had been struck out of the Hastings Act — being that which empowered the Commissioners to borrow money for paying the principal and interest of money borrowed for the execution of public works. He had written to Mr. Taylor on the subject and had suggested the advisability of a private interview. The committee had recommended that an exception should be made to the clause which abolished all existing local officers on the day the Public Health Act was applied. Some portions of the Towns Improvement Act were also felt to be capable of being introduced with advantage into the general measure, including a clause preventing turnpike trustees from levying tolls within the jurisdiction of Local Acts. There were three parishes in the borough paying toll for a turnpike road which they themselves kept in repair, and at the present time the Commissioners’ carts had to pay tolls for carrying beach through the gate to mend the trustees’ road, merely because the cart-wheels were about half an inch wider than the law allowed. Variations of other sections and clauses were also enumerated by the Town Clerk. — Ald. Burton then rose and was received with applause. He said perhaps it was almost unnecessary for him to repeat that he was greatly opposed to the Health of Towns Bill being applied to St. Leonards. He was therefore opposed to the provisional order and to what the town committee had done. He was as much convinced as ever of the injustice of applying this Act to St. Leonards. He had that morning conversed with Mr. Easton, an engineer, who had told him about the state of Harrow where the Public Health Act was applied in 1849. There the cost of the projected works would be three times the Inspector’s estimate. The Act had been applied, but nothing was done, for the ratepayers were frightened. They were being put to the expense of a staff of officials; and everything had turned out different to what they had anticipated. He (Ald Burton) maintained that St. Leonards ought not to have a similar expense thrown upon her. He was willing to acknowledge that the qualification for a Commissioner was too high. It kept out of the Commission several gentlemen whom he would like to see in it; but he did not consider that to be a sufficient reason why the Local Act should be abrogated altogether. He preferred to be even as they were to being placed under the power of an Act which might deprive St. Leonards of a representative in the public body. He was ready to say
- “Tis better to bear the ills we have
Than fly to others we know not of.”
- “Tis better to bear the ills we have
He did not object to the Public Health Act where it might be required, -
