Folios 600-601. To: The General Board of Health. From: William Stevens Jnr, Clerk...

Folios 600-601.

To: The General Board of Health.

From: William Stevens Jnr, Clerk to the Local Board of Health, Hitchin [Hertfordshire].

Subject Matter: Letter acknowledging receipt of a letter dated 1 November 1851, on the subject of the expenses of the preliminary inquiry at Hitchin. Stevens explains that the report furnished by him to Mr Ranger, at his request, as to the number of persons resident in each of the smaller class of tenements, the extent of the privy accommodation and the nature of the water supply, consisted of 14 columns of particulars dictated to him by Ranger when he was at Hitchin. In order to make the return required by Ranger, Stevens explains that it was necessary to make at least six enquiries at each house: - 'There are 1057 houses in the township; consequently I made 6342 enquiries, the answers to which were written down and from this a draft street analysis was made, and afterwards a fair copy for Mr Ranger'. In addition to this, Ranger is also said to have required an analysis of the number of houses rated under £5, 'and progressively every £5 up to the highest rated tenement in the township (the highest being £240)'. This, he submits, occupied a very considerable time. Stevens hopes that this explanation will be satisfactory to the General Board, and that they will not consider 30 days for the said work to be 'a period far exceeding what was required for efficiently executing the work'.

With respect to the remainder of his account and the other expenses, Stevens submits that they were necessary to the introduction of the Public Health Act 1848 to the Township of Hitchin, and although such expenses were incurred under the direction of a Committee appointed by the township for that purpose, the Committee had not, nor have, any public funds out of which they can discharge the same.

Stevens returns the amended accounts as requested [not included in item] and refers the Board to his letter of the 16 July 1850, wherein he expressed the opinion of the Hitchin Local Board as to the unfairness of Mr Oswald Foster's charge, in comparison to those of the several other medical and professional gentlemen who also attended Mr Ranger on his visit.