Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the Colony on the public health ... / Cape of Good Hope.

  • Cape of Good Hope (South Africa). Department of Public Health.
Date:
[1906]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the Colony on the public health ... / Cape of Good Hope. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Y On the carrying out of Permanent Works by Local Authorities. How necessary is the maintenance of some skilled and indepen¬ dent supervision over the acts of local bodies has been recently signally demonstrated by facts brought to light in the course of some enquiries undertaken by the Department. This is especially the case with regard to the inception and carrying out of large improve¬ ment schemes which are frequently entered upon without sufficient consideration, or are conceived in a spirit of undue optimism, or are undertaken on unsound or immature expert advice. It is true that such schemes have to receive the approval of the ratepayers before they can be undertaken by a Council, and there¬ fore if they turn out unsatisfactorily it may be said that the rate¬ payers have only themselves to thank for the result, but the rate¬ payers can be rarely placed in possession of the full facts relating to a scheme submitted to them, and as a body they possess neither the means nor the capacity to properly examine into the details of an important public works scheme, and in effect they are forced to rely more or less upon the judgment of their representatives on the Council. In one way only can any degree of security be obtained in these matters, and that is by the sanction of the Government being re¬ quired before any such schemes can be undertaken, and by the Central Authority in the case of every scheme of any magnitude holding a full and public enquiry on the spot into its details by its technical officers before that sanction is given. But until quite recently such local enquiries have rarely been conducted in this Colony. Indeed, in the past, only to a limited extent has any kind of investigation been made or advice tendered by the Central Authority in respect of schemes and proposed works of public improvement. Whenever a Local Authority has applied to the Government for a loan under the provisions of “ The Local Works Loans Act,” the Government has of necessity had to satisfy itself that the scheme was a commercially sound one, and, above all, that the finances of the local body were capable of meeting the In¬ terest and Redemption charges on the loan if granted. But such in¬ vestigation has rarely gone beyond the immediate object of satisfy¬ ing the Government that the loan from the Public Funds may be safely made. Under the provisions of Section 18 of “ The Public Health Amendment Act, 1897,” it is provided that an urban local authority may undertake all things necessary for the purposes of: — (a) Any scheme for the supply of good water or for the improve¬ ment of any existing supply. (b) Any scheme of sewerage or drainage, or for the removal or disposal of nightsoil, or other decaying, offensive or un¬ healthy matter, including town refuse, or for the improve¬ ment of any such scheme: Provided that such local authority shall satisfy the Minister that the intended scheme is suitable and the best practicable. And under these provisions enquiry to a limited extent has been made during the past few years into schemes relating to the two subjects of domestic water supply and sewerage, when such schemes have been submitted to Government for approval. But, as a general rule, Local Authorities have ignored these provisions, and it is even doubtful whether those Local Authorities which are constituted under special Acts of Incorporation of their own instead of under the general Municipal Act or the Villages Management Act, can be re¬ quired to conform to this law.
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