PRESENTATION OF THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF LONDON TO LORD LISTER.

36 Fund should be annually audited by an auditor nominated by the President of the Local Government Board, the Board to fix his remuneration. Mr. BALFOUR hoped that the speech of the Prime Minister would enable the House to come to a unanimous vote and alluded to the fact that Dr. RUTHERFORD’S amendment asking for a small representation of the medical profession had received its chief support from a Member of the House who evinced This was unfortunately distrust of that profession. the case and, taken with the absence of backing from the medical members of the House, doomed Dr. RUTHERFORD’S amendment to failure. The wish of the

of the beautiful stories of our Scriptures, we do not weary of the repetition. It gives us a sense of the grandeur of our avocation to feel that one of us, by the application of genius and prescience, by untiring industry, and by the bravest powers of self-criticism, should have been able toalter, and to alter radically, the existing relation of man to suffering and of life to death over the whole world. Never has the freedom of the City of London been more rightly bestowed, never has the foremost civic power in the world’ honoured itself in honouring a new adherent. some

,

-

more

THE WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION ACT : MEDICAL MEN AND THE BOROUGH COUNCIL OF WESTMINSTER.

House was unmistakeable that, at present at any rate, the medical profession should not have statutory powers of representation upon the Council. In the circumstances we would ask the medical profession to believe that the Council of King Kiward’s Hospital Fund for London will discharge its duties in advising the Sovereign or the President, in the future as in the past, with every regard for our profession. By its increased powers this Council has become a public guarantee of the sound financial control of the Fund, and the representation of the medical profession which now exists in its body may be reasonably expected to continue.

WE have before us a report made to the borough council of Westminster by a joint sub-committee of its works and highways committee dealing with the best method of meeting the council’s responsibility for its injured and sick workmen with special reference to the Workmen’s Compensation Act. Whilst sympathising with any municipal effort to keep down the expenditure of the

money, we cannot congratulate the borough council of Westminster on the means it has in this instance recommended, for we hardly remember to. have seen a more shameless and unblushing instance of the time-honoured and simple money-saving principle of "Exploit the Doctor." It appears that Councillor J. P. Wallis has been at pains to discover the average sum paid by friendly societies to their medical officers, and this for attendance, medicine, and medical certificates he puts down as 4s. per man per annum. He suggests that this "Ne quid nimis." would be an adequate basis of payment to make for the council’s workmen who live within a three miles’ radius of PRESENTATION OF THE FREEDOM OF THE the city hall, whilst a further 2. should secure these CITY OF LONDON TO LORD LISTER. benefits for those living beyond that radius. It is reckoned’ ON June 28bh the City of London honoured Lord Lister that 750 men would come under the former class and 250’ and her own freemen by entering upon the roll of that disunder the latter, making a total annual expenditure of
ratepayers’

Annotations.

I,i

I