The Appropriate Types of Authority
| Date | 01 October 1926 |
| Author | W. Moon |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1926.tb02268.x |
| Published date | 01 October 1926 |
The
Appropriate Types
of
Authority
for
the Operation
of
Publicly Owned Utility Services, and the
Powers which they should have :-(With Special Reference
to the Position and Powers
of
the Appropriate
ad
hoc
Municipal
Authority)
By
w.
MOON
Town
Clerk,
Livevpool
l
HE
sub-title that
I
have chosen suggests the limits to which
I
pro-
T
pose to confine such observations as
I
have to make on the vast
subject covered by the title. In itself, the title is wide enough to cover
the whole genesis of local government
as
we know
it
to-day because, in
point of historical fact, the history of local government in this country
is
very largely concerned with the continuous expcrinients which have
been made in the creation
of
ad
hoc
authorities for dealing with specific
necessities as they arose.2 Many of these
ad
hoc
authorities have come and
gone, some after
a
feeble existence, whilst others, after having flourished
and served their purpose, have been superseded by more modern types.
Thus
the Courts of
Sewers
;
the Turnpike Trusts
;
the hosts
of
Com-
missioners for lighting, watching, paving, cleansing or improvement
of
towns,
etc., which arose out
of
the neglect or apathy of the old unre-
formed Municipal Corporations, have nearly all been swept away by later
reforms of our local government system.
The Local Boards of Health which owed their origin to the oulbreak
cf
Asiatic cholera in
1831
provide an interesting example of this process.
A
Central Board
of
dignitaries and medical men was set
up
(in
1832),
and
Local Boards of Health, composed of
local
magistrates, clergy, doctors,
and
“
principal inhabitants,” in the large towns were created
by
Orders
in Council. These Local Boards ceased their activities as the cholera
1
In
pre?aring this Paper
I
wish to acknowledge the assistance
of
Mr.
Warner Terry,
a former colleague
of
mine when with the Metropolitan Water Board.
*
Clifford’s
History
of
Pviuafe
Bill
Legislalion
presents ample evidence in support
of
this proposition. The Town Improvement Acts are the earliest instances
of
the recognized
necessity for some local body being made responsible for the elementary local requirements
of
an urban community. Paving
WM
the first and most frequent subject
of
local legisla-
tion. Then came the suppression
of
nuisances, including the killing
of
animals
in
the streets
;
and drainage and sewers. Lighting and watching and water supply came a little while
after.
338
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