BATHS AND WASH-HOUSES. ACTS REGARDING. The establishment of public B. and W. is regulated in England and Wales by two acts of parliament—the 0 and 10 Viet. c. 74, and 10 and 11 Viet. c. 61—which are to be considered as one act. The sanitary regulations so legalized are merely permissive, and in no respect made compulsory on the public; but their wisdom, benevolence, and consideration for the health of the people, strongly recommend their adoption. The provisions of the act may be adopted for any incorporated borough, or for any parish not within any such incorporated borough; subject, however, in the case of a parish, to the approval of one of her majesty's principal secretaries of state. In the case of a borough, the adoption of the act is left to the discretion of the council of the borough; and the expense is to be charged upon the borough fund, the council being empowered to levy, either as part of the borough rate, or by a separate rate, such sums as may from time to time be necessary. In the case, again, of a parish, it is left to the vestry, with the sanction of one of the secretaries of state, to decide on the adoption of the act; and in such case, the vestry shall appoint not less than three, and not more than seven persons, ratepayers, to be rota mimioners for carrying out the provisions of the act. Regulations for the proceed ings of these commissioners are prescribed in the act. The expense is to be charged upon the poor-rate. The vestries of any two or more parishes may concur in carrying out the act.
The act contains numerous other provisions and regulations relating to the facilities required for the operations of the borough councils and parish commissioners: thus, they may borrow money with the approval of the treasury; they may have money advanced to them by the public works loan commissioners; they may avail themselves of the rail way companies clauses consolidation act of 1845 for certain limited purposes, such as borrowing money on mortgage, the accountability of officers of the company, the making of by-laws subject to other preVisions, and the recovery of damages and penalties.
After these preliminary facilities, the act proceeds to specify the powers of the borough councils and parish commissioners, as to erection or purchase of buildings, etc., for the purposes contemplated. Among other things, it is provided that the number of baths and the number of washing-tubs for the laboring-classes shall not be less than twice the number of those for any higher class or classes.
The council and commissioners respectively are empowered to make by-laws for regulating the use of the B. and W., which, however, shall not be enforced until they have been approved by a secretary of state. These by-laws must make sufficient provi sion for a variety of purposes specified in the schedule (A) to the act 9 and 10 Viet. c. 47; the scope of those purposes being to secure order, cleanliness, and decency. The charges for the use of the B. and W. are regulated by another schedule attached to the net 10 and 11 Viet. c. 61. In the baths for the laboring-elasses, a single cold bath is not to exceed one penny; a single warm or vapor bath is not to exceed twopence. B. for any higher class are not to exceed three times the charges for those of the laboring-classes. In the wash-houses for the laboring-classes, the use of a single washing-tub, and other con veniences, is not to be charged more than one penny for one hour, or threepence for two hours together.
The various local management acts, passed since the above-cited acts of 1846 and 1847, have strengthened the powers of town-councils, etc., for the establishment of B. and W.; but the principle of operation remains nearly uniform—viz., that any surplus outlay, beyond the receipts from bathers and washers, shall be defrayed out of the rates. It may safely be asserted that no item in house-rate is more wisely applied than this. So great is the importance attached by medical men to bathing, that the metropolitan board of works has been urged to establish free public swimming-baths in the metropolis, to supplement the parochial B. and W. ; but the question is still undecided.