and was told by the Clerk, that he was afraid they were not in a position to demand the information.
The Local Board of Health. The Town Council lost no time in making known that by the Public Health Supplemental Act, 1851, No.2, which received the Royal Assent on the 7th day of August, the whole of the municipal area of the borough (St. Leonards town excepted) from Ecclesbourne, east, to Bulverhithe, west, was now under the jurisdiction of the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses. Therefore all streets and highways, not turnpike roads, in such district would not in future have their surfaces broken without permission of that Board. All the general clauses for scavengering, removal of ashes, prevention of nuisances, licensing of hackney carriages, pleasure-boats and bathing-machines, contained in the Hastings Local Act and Public-Health Act, 1848, as well as certain clauses in the Towns Improvement Act, 1847, and the Police-Clauses Act, 1847, were now applicable to such district. All coal, culm,[1] and coke imported by sea and land into the said district would be charged with the duty under the Hastings Local Act, and the principal officers with whom the inhabitants would have to communicate were Stephen Putland, Surveyor, and John Dungate Thwaites, Inspector of Nuisances. Thus the Public Health Act, dated Aug. 7th was immediately in force, both in Hastings, proper, and the intermediate district between the Priory-bridge site (the western limit of the town under the jurisdiction of the late Hastings Commissioners) but excepting so much of St. Leonards as was under the jurisdiction of the St. Leonards Commissioners — that township being excluded from its operations. As the Town Council became at once the Local Board of Health, no fresh elections were necessary.
The First Meeting of the reorganised body was on the 22nd of August, when there were present the Mayor (J. Emary) Aldermen Burton, Clift, Ticehurst, Scrivens and Clement; Councillors Mann, Ross, J. Amoore, Beck, Putland, A. Amoore, Peerless, Hutchings, Hickes, Deudney, Cousens, Williams, Stubbs, Harvey, Ginner, Burfield, Jeudwine and Chamberlin.
Light-House. — Resolved that the offer of Lady Waldegrave to grant a 21 years lease of ground on the West-hill for a light-house at £1 per year, with Mr. Arckoll’s (the tenant’s) consent, be accepted.
Election of Officers. In taking up the new powers vested in them, the Council proceeded to elect new officers, a work which occupied two or three hours in consequence of the uncertainty of the nature and extent of the duties involved in the appointments, as well as to the advisability of discussing matters in private or public. Coun. Ginner thought it would be best to form themselves into committee, so that they might speak more freely, but the idea of closed doors was strongly opposed by Ross, -
- ↑ Coal dust, usually anthracite.
