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consideration not what the property is worth, but what imay be worth by-and-by. He may make allowance fo]the unearned increment that may accrue at some futuredate. Nor is this all; the owners of the property, howevervile and worthless it may be, have the right to retaircounsel at the expense of the sanitary autnority. Con

sequently they often employ the most expensive legaladvice available to defend their interests. In this way thelegal costs are sometimes greater than the value of the

property; and in practice the cost of expropriation is

likely to prove prohibitive. The length of time which thearbitrator takes to investigate the claim, the costs incurredby the owners of the condemned property, result in so

heavy an outlay that the whole scheme is handicapped atthe very commencement, and the hope of financial successrendered doubtful. Obviously, condemned property shouldnot be treated in so lenient a manner. If a propertyis in a good condition and does no one any injury, and yetthe owner has to be expropriated so as to make room forsome public works, thoroughfare, or other improvement,the desire to treat such an owner fairly and generously canbe understood and approved. But where the owner so farfails in his duty to maintain the property in a sanitary con-dition that it becomes unfit for human habitation, and thesanitary authority have to go to the trouble of taking thisproperty over so as to pull the bad houses down and buildgood houses in their stead, the claim to full compensationdoes not hold good.At Manchester, however, everything indicates that the

law costs will be so heavy and the compensation givento the owners of the property so liberal that the sanitaryreformers will be discouraged and the scheme will notbe followed up. The actual scheme will of course becarried out, but the rehousing of some 2000 persons outof a population of more than half a million will notvery materially contribute to reduce the Manchester death-rate. It was, above all, the effect that this scheme wouldhave on the owners of bad property which promisedto produce such good fruits. If, on the one hand, theowners of the condemned dwellings had been expropriatedat a comparatively small cost and at some loss to them-selves ; and if, on the other hand, the property thus muni-cipalised proved a source of income to the town, then thethreat of treating other property in the same manner wouldindeed serve as a sword of Damocles and terrorise specu-lators in bad property and make them put their houses inorder. As it is, such persons will not care for the threatsof the sanitary authority. They will know that thesethreats are not likely to be carried out on account of thegreat expense, and that in any case they will get goodcompensation. Thus the poor of Manchester will continueto be badly housed in spite of the large sum the municipalityis now expending.Yet the difficulty of dealing with such an area as that

we inspected ought not to be great. There can be nopossible hesitation as to the necessity of pulling it alldown. The entrance, for instance, by a particular courtpresents a most deplorable picture. The houses on eitherside of this court, though facing the main road, are so oldand dilapidated that there is not a straight line remaining.The floors, the steps, the gable of the ioofs, the frames ofthe windows all slant in different directions and have ceasedto be horizontal with the street or the foundations. Thepassage or court is a yard wide, and across are beams andplanks, so placed as to prevent the houses on either sidefrom falling in upon each other. Alone they could not stand,and yet they are inhabited. Beyond the court passagethere are some very small two-roomed houses, these roomsmeasuring 845 and 847 cubic feet of space each. Who cansay how many persons have slept at one time in these verysmall houses ? The statistics of the number of inhabitantswere taken long after it was known the district was aboutto be condemned. Every preparation had been made forthe inspection, and it was carried out during the day, sothat there was no reliable knowledge gained as to the over-crowding. Yet, even under these circumstances, seven inhabi-tants were found in two rooms measuring in all 2645 cubicfeet. The space in the bedroom was only 1210 cubic feet, sothat if they all slept together there would be but 174 cubicfeet each. Another house of two rooms measuring 1104 and1305 cubic feet was occupied by two families numbering sixpersons in all. The inside space in one house was only 1690cubic feet, and there were four inhabitants ; next doorthe house measured 1694 cubic feet of space and had five

inhabitants. It may be argued that this makes a littlemore than 300 feet for each person, which is sufficient undercertain circumstances, such as in a dormitory with efficientventilation and little or no furniture. But these houses.contain lumber and furniture and sometimes a hawker’sstock-in-trade. The breathing space is thus very consider-ably reduced. Some of the inhabitants are Italians,organ-grinders and penny ice dealers. What the condition,of ices made in such courts must be had best be leftto the imagination. Other inhabitants are very poorlabourers, and of course the habits of this class of tenantsdo not tend to improve the property. The scenes of misery,of squalor, and of dirt to be witnessed within these smallrickety houses are truly appalling. The dirt and despair-of the one discourages the other, and these tenants willnever be raised from their present abject condition tillthey are removed to better surroundings.In hopeful contrast with this scene of misery is the

exhibition in one of the rooms of the municipal buildings of-the plans and drawings for the rebuilding of this rookery.A competition has been organised for the best scheme for-the artisans and labourers’ dwellings that are to be built bythe town on the condemned area. These plans are repletewith all manner of of conveniences, even of luxuries andartistic attractiona. Thus one designer carefully providessills on all the windows for the cultivation of flowers. On,each floor there are shoots for coal and for rubbish. Onthe roofs there are terraces. There are separate,well-ventilated, well-flushed, waterelosets for males andfemales. There are hot and cold water baths, recreationgrounds, and gymnasium. Special inlets and outlets forthe ventilation of rooms is provided, independently of theopening and shutting of windows or of doors. In fact, theprojects exhibited suggest what will be considered a working-man’s palace when compared with the existing slum. Sucha transformation should be hailed with joy and hope bythose who have at heart this great question of the housingof the poor, and perhaps, by promptly exposing the dangersand obstacles that are in the way of thorough and wide--spread reform, the results may be more favourable than weare at present tempted to anticipate. In any case, it is verynecessary that the sanitary reformers at Manchester shouldnot be content to rest on their laurels ; otherwise, the im-provement about to be realised, the scheme now sanctioned,may be utilised, not as an example to secure other andgreater progress, but rather as a scarecrow to frighten theratepayer and prevent further attempts being made in a.similar direction.

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A TEACHING UNIVERSITY FOR LONDON.

A COMMITTEE of the Privy Council, consisting of theLord President (Viscount Cranbrook), the Earl of Selborne,Lord Monk-Bretton, Lord Basing, and Lord Sandford, satat the Council Office, Downing-street, on Monday, anddelivered their judgment upon the arguments upon and.objections to the petition on behalf of King’s College andUniversity College in favour of a Charter for the estab-lishment in London of a Teaching University, with powerto confer degrees.The Earl of SELBORNE delivered the judgment of the

Council. With regard to the question of qualification fordegree, their lordships understood the petitioners to meanthat a minimum of a two years’ bonâ-fide course of studyin London should be required in the latter part of the timenecessary for degrees. Their lordships were satisfied thatthat was a sufficient guarantee, and upon that under-standing they did not think it necessary to say anythingmore. The objection of the London University to a

medical faculty was of a general nature, and their lordshipsalso generally disallowed that. With regard to the name,the "Albert University of London," in the proposed Charter,the new institution ought not in any way to interfere with theexisting University of London, which was set up by Charterand by law. Therefore, the name " London" must beomitted from the title, and their lordships suggested thatit should be called either the "Albert University" or the" Albert Metropolitan University " in the new Draft Charter.As to the opposition of the Royal Colleges of Physiciansand Surgeons and of the Medical Schools, their lordshipsthought the claim of the Royal Colleges to a control of the

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medical faculty in the new University was not admissible.They also thought that the condition of as many as tenmembers on the Council, as direct representatives of the Medi-cal Schools, was too many in the event of the Royal Collegesbeing represented as proposed ; and they suggested that it:should be offered to the Medical Schools to fill live places on-the Council by alternate elections, in such order as theymight agree upon ; or, as an alternative, that the members-of the Medical Faculty belonging to each school, might’elect one member each for the Medical Board of Studies.’Whichever of these two alternatives was most acceptabletheir lordships would approve of. In any case, their’lordships thought the power of making regulations as to.medical studies and examinations should be safeguarded-in one or other of the two ways which the peti-,tioners for the Charters in their recent communica-tions with the Medical Schools have declared them-selves willing to accept. If the Colleges and MedicalSchools agreed to come in on the terms offered, thetotal numbers of the Council might be raised. Theirlordships did not mean to preclude consideration ofthat number in settling the revised Charter, but it had’occurred to them that perhaps forty, including the Chan-cellor, would be sufficient in the event specified, in whichcase their lordships suggested that the other four members.should be given to the faculty of law, who should be electedby the legal faculty unless the Council of Legal Education;and the Incorporated Law Society should both agree tocome in, in which case both of these bodies mightrelect one member of the Council and the legal facultytwo. It the Royal Colleges should decline to come

in on these terms, their lordships thoughtthat the sixplaces now proposed to be given to them on the Council,.and four more, might then be offered to the ten MedicalSchools, thus giving the amount of representation to theseschools for which they asked. Their lordships thoughtthat, as it was the desire of the Medical Schools, if theywere associated with the new University, to be called’colleges rather than schools, they might be called colleges ofanedioine in the University, but their lordships thought none,of them should be also described as Schools or Colleges in- science; but that the teachers in any branch of general scienceshould be admitted as members of the Science Faculty ofthe University. If the Medical Schools declined to come in- on those terms, and the Royal Colleges also declined, theirlordships thought that the six places on the Council whichit was now proposed to give to the Royal Colleges might besupplied in the manner suggested in the twenty-ninthparagraph of the Royal Commissioners’ report, and the’same principle so far as necessary might be applied to somesufficient number of members of the Medical Board of:Studies in the same event. While, then, their lordshipswere of opinion that the present necessity should be metin oneof the ways suggested, they thought that provision should be.made for the case of a subsequent accession of the Royal’Colleges and the Medical Schools, or any of them, if theynow declined, and for any modification of the constitution.and numbers of the Council which might in that casebe agreed upon. With respect to the opposition of theApothecaries’ Society, their lordships thought it sufficientto give to the Council of the new University, when con-stituted, power, if it should be thought well, to assign- a place or places upon the Council to that Society,but they were not disposed to insist at the present’time upon that being done. With respect to the peti-tion of the Bedford School of Women, their lordshipsthought their claim to be admitted as a collegeshould be best dealt with by the authorities of the NewUniversity when constituted, and that it could not at

.present be satisfactorily determined. As to the peti-tion of the Incorporated Law Society, their lordshipsdid not think it necessary to add anything to whathad been already said. The other points which theirlordships thought it necessary to notice were these :-Their lordships were of opinion that no honorary degreesshould be granted in medicine. In the clause of the DraftCharter, giving the power of conferring honorary de-grees, there was at present language pointing particu.larly to persons who have had a certain connexion with the- colleges which would be colleges in the new University, andtheir lordships were of opinion that the particular reference’to these colleges or any other institution should be omittedand that the power to confer honorary degrees should bEgeneral. Their lordships desired to remind counsel for the

promoters of the new Charter that they understood them toagree that faculties should be electoral bodies only, as

recommended by the Royal Commissioners, and that a

consultative function should be given to Boards of Studiesonly. With regard to the question of area, their lord-ships thought it preferable to take the area of thecounty of London in preference to the fifteen miles radius pro-posed. A question had recently been put upon the supposi-tion that, without special provision to the contrary, tests mightbe imposed in the new University as to those faculties whichwere included in it, and as to the candidature for degreesin these faculties. Their lordships suggested that careought to be taken in the revised Drafb Charter to removeany question on that point in accordance with the precedentthat the law has established in the older universities. Therewere some other details which were not the subject ofargument which occurred to some of their lordships duringthe argument as being objections which they would take forgranted would be properly considered in the preparation ofthe revised proposed Charter.Mr. GwYN JEFFRIES said he had been instructed on behalf

of Queen’s College, which had not received any notice ofthese proceedings, and he wished to address a few words totheir lordships.The EARL OF SELBORNE said it was too late to hear

any further argument, but they would deal with the Queen’sCollege in these circumstances as they would with theBedford College for Women.Mr. RIGBY, Q.C., in reply to the Earl of Selborne, stated

that no time would be lost in communicating with theclerk of the Council as soon as the revised Draft Charterwas ready.The proceedings then concluded.

Public Health and Poor Law.LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT.

REPORTS OF MEDICAL OFFICERS OF HEALTH.

Taunton Urban and Rural Districts.-In the town theincreased use of the public water-supply renders it necessaryto extend the reservoir accommodation; extension of thesewage outfall works has also been decided on, and atten-tion is paid to the question of nuisances, general inspectionof localities, trades, &c. The death-rate for 1890 is givenas 18’5 per 1000, and the zymotic rate as 2’5. In all, 115cases of infectious disease were notified, and Dr. Alfordstates that, of this number, 49 were removed to hospital. Noless than 82 cases of diphtheria were heard of, and, as schoolattendance was associated with its spread, the elementaryschools were closed. This action is stated to have led to thedisappearance of the disease; but the date of the closureand the possible influence of season in the diminution andsubsidence of the prevalence are not noted. In the ruraldistrict the rate of mortality was 15’5 per 1000. The sani-tary hospital received 53 cases of diphtheria, 28 of scarletfever, besides a few other cases; and, as in former years, ithas served a most useful part in the prevention of infectiousdisease.East Dereham Urban District. - Mr. H. B. Vincent’s

report deals largely with statistics and occurrences of disease,but none of the more preventable amongst the latter wereon any important scale. The general death-rate for 1890was 17’3 per 1000 living. The drainage arrangements, withone or two exceptions about to be remedied, are good; thewater-supply is satisfactory ; but, as is so often the case,the sanitary authority prefer to know of nuisance and failurein connexion with scavenging when undertaken by occupiersthan to take upon themselves this very necessary duty. Thecost of the former system is almost always greater thanwhen a properly organised system is maintained by theauthority.Swansea Rural Sanitary District.-This district is divided

between Mr. Rice llorgan, who holds the LlaDgyfelachdivision, and Dr. D. Griffiths, of the Llandilo-Talybontdivision. The rate of mortality was 17’6 and 21 per 1000in the divisions respectively. In the former some work asto the improvement of water-supplies was carried out duringthe year ; others are in contemplation, and plans for a new