treatment will not, during a period of three months, if he so long continues to require such treatment, be disqualified on the ground only that he is an inmate of a poor law institution. It may at the same time be mentioned that the Act prescribes the following new scale of old age pensions : Means of Claimant or Pensioner. Where the yearly means of the claimant or pen- Do not exceed £26 5s. Exceed £26 5s., but do not exceed £31 10s. Rate of Pension per week. IOS. 8s. £36 155. 6s. £36 155., £42 4s. £42 NOTIFICATION OF ACUTE ENCEPHALITIS Ministry of Health, 31st December, 1919. Sir, I am directed by the Minister of Health to state that he has decided to extend the operation of the Public Health (Acute Encephalitis Lethargica and Acute Polio-Encephalitis) Regulations, 1918, under which cases of these diseases were made notifiable throughout England and Wales during the present year, and I am to enclose copies of a General Order which has the effect of continuing the Regulations in force until the Minister otherwise directs. A copy of the Order and of this Circular have been forwarded to the Medical Officer of Health. I am, Sir, To the Town Clerk, or Your obedient Servant, The Clerk to the Council. ORDER OF MINISTRY OF HEALTH. 65,592 THE PUBLIC HEALTH (ACUTE ENCEPHALITIS LETH- TO THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN, AND COMMONS of the To the Councils of the several Metropolitan Boroughs, Muni- To the Councils of the several Rural Districts in England and To all Medical Practitioners ;— And to all others whom it may concern. WHEREAS by the Public Health (Acute Encephalitis Lethargica and Acute Polio-Encephalitis) Regulations, 1918 (hereinafter referred to as "the principal Regulations "), provision was made for the notification of cases of Acute Encephalitis Lethargica and Acute Polio-Encephalitis during the period of one year from the 1st day of January, 1919; AND WHEREAS it is expedient that the period of operation of the principal Regulations should be extended: NOW THEREFORE, the Minister of Health, in pursuance of all powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby Orders that the principal Regulations shall, notwithstanding anything contained in Article II. thereof, continue in force until the Minister by Order otherwise Directs. This Order may be cited as "The Public Health (Acute Encephalitis Lethargica and Acute Polio-Encephalitis) Regulations, 1919." Given under the Official Seal of the Minister of Health, this Thirty-first day of December, in the year One thousand nine hundred and nineteen. (L.S.) A. B. MACLACHLAN, Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Health. MEMORANDUM OF MINISTRY OF HEALTH. D. III. RELAXATION OF BUILDING BYELAWS: REGULATIONS UNDER SECTION 25 OF THE HOUSING, TOWN PLANNING, ETC., ACT, 1919. 1. The object of Section 25 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919, is to give to Local Authorities a power, exercisable during the period of three years from 31st July, 1919, to allow the erection and use for human habitation of buildings of a kind which may not be permissible under existing byelaws, but which comply with regulations made by the Minister of Health. * A copy of the Regulations made by the Minister in this matter is enclosed. 2. The Regulations have been framed in general terms so as to leave a wide discretion to Local Authorities in regard to the materials and methods of construction which may be permitted. The walls may be of any material and construction which give sufficient stability and reasonable protection against the weather. The requirements as to foundations and roofs have been placed at the minimum necessary to safeguard life and health. It will be open to Local Authorities to permit the erection and use as dwellings of Army huts and similar structures. They can also allow various more or less permanent types of building which do not comply with the present byelaws. A description of some of the types of construction which would be covered is appended by way of exemplification. A Committee has been appointed by the Minister of Health to consider new methods of construction, and particulars of any new methods approved by them will from time to time be published in the official journal, Housing. 3. Section 25 provides that the Local Authority may attach to their consent any conditions which they deem proper with regard to the situation, sanitary arrangements, and protection against fire of the buildings in question. In the case of wooden huts the construction and position of hearths, stoves, gas cookers, and flues will require special consideration, and some suggestions on this subject are appended. 4. The section further provides that any consent given by the Local Authority may be for a limited period, which may from time to time be extended. The different types of structure which would be covered by the Regulations vary considerably in durability. Each particular case will need to be considered on its merits. The object of the Regulations is to encourage new forms of building construction and the immediate provision of additional housing accommodation. It will be desirable that the builder should at the outset receive an assurance that the houses when erected will be allowed to be used for a period which will justify his expenditure, and Local Authorities should therefore take a liberal view in determining for what period to consent to the use of a building for habitation. 5. Any person who feels aggrieved by the neglect or refusal of the Local Authority to give their consent under the section, or by the conditions on which consent is given, or as to the period allowed for the use of the building for human habitation, may appeal to the Minister of Health. Before considering any such appeal the Minister may require the appellant to deposit a sum, which is not to exceed £10. TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION FOR EXTERNAL WALLS. The following are examples of types of construction of external walls which might be permitted under the Regulations: (1) A hollow wall constructed of brickwork, cement concrete slabs or other suitable incombustible material, each part of the wall being not less than 3 inches thick and the intervening cavity being not less than 2 inches. All brickwork or other material forming the wall should be properly and solidly put together with good lime mortar or cement mortar, and the two parts of the wall properly tied together. (2) Timber framing covered externally with: (a) Weather boarding (coated, if of soft wood, with an efficient preservative); or (b) Asbestos sheets not less than inch thick; or (c) Metal reinforcement coated with good plaster of cement and sand, so that the reinforcement is completely embedded and has not less than inch of thickness of plaster on each face; or (d) Plates or sheets of metal, and lined internally with asbestos sheets, plaster, plaster slabs, or other suitable material. Match-boarding is not desirable, but should not ordinarily be objected to in the case of a building erected before the making of the Regulations and not subsequently re-erected. (3) Steel framing protected from rust, covered externally and lined internally, respectively, in any of the ways described. above. (4) Good brickwork of solid or hollow bricks, terra-cotta or sawn stone not less than 4 inches thick, or hollow tiles or cement concrete slabs not less than 3 inches thick or other suitable incombustible material of sufficient thickness and strength, the wall being sufficiently strengthened with solid piers not less than 14 inches by 9 inches properly distributed throughout its length. The wall should be rendered externally in cement and sand or otherwise rendered impervious to moisture. The internal face of the wall should be battened and covered with asbestos sheets, plaster, plaster slabs, or other suitable material. The thicknesses above specified would be appropriate in the case of a one-storey building. (5) Good cement concrete built in situ or solid or hollow blocks of cement concrete or other suitable incombustible material, the wall being not less than 6 inches thick, properly and solidly put together with good lime mortar or cement mortar and rendered externally in cement and sand or otherwise rendered impervious to moisture. SUGGESTIONS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE. 1. Hearths. Wherever a stove or furnace in which coal, wood or similar fuel is intended to be consumed is supported from a wooden floor, it should rest on a hearth of solid, hard and suitable incombus tible material not less than 3 inches thick, projecting in front of the stove or furnace not less than 16 inches, and on all other sides to a sufficient distance not being less than 9 inches. 2. Stoves. Where any stove or furnace in which coal, wood or similar fuel is intended to be consumed stands within 3 feet of any wall or partition, the wall or partition behind the stove or furnace should, for height of not less than 4 feet and width of not less than 3 feet, be formed of incombustible material not less than 3 inches thick. 3. Flue Pipes.-No combustible material in any wall, partition, floor, ceiling or roof should be within 9 inches of any metal flue conveying smoke from any stove or furnace in which coal, wood, or similar fuel is intended to be consumed. Ministry of Health, Whitehall, S.W. 1. October, 1919. MEMORANDUM OF MINISTRY OF HEALTH. D. 132 1. Since the issue of General Housing Memorandum No. 8 and the Housing (Assisted Scheme) Regulations, 1919, representations have been made to the Minister by Local Authorities and others with regard to the liability of Local Authorities under an assisted scheme, and, in particular, with regard to their liability after the expiration of the so-called "transitional period." In order to remove any doubt or misapprehension regarding the effect of the regulations the Minister agreed that certain provision of the regulations should be annulled, and that revised regulations should be issued. 2. A draft of the revised regulations was submitted to representatives of the Association of Municipal Corporations, the Urban District Councils Association, the Rural District Councils Association, the National Housing and Town Planning Council, and the Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants, and the Minister has been able to avail himself of suggestions made by these bodies and by individual Local Authorities. 3. An order was made by the Privy Council on the 9th December, annulling certain provisions of the regulations then in force, and by Article I. of the revised regulations, of which copies are enclosed, the remaining provisions of the previous regulations are revoked and new regulations are substituted. The new regulations will be cited as "The Local Authorities (Assisted Housing Schemes) Regulations, 1919." 4. Article II. corresponds with Article I. of the previous regulations. A reference to the Interpretation Act is included, and the definition of the produce of a penny rate in Article II. (g) and Schedule A is slightly modified. 5. Article III. reproduces the old Article II. with certain substantial amendments. |