County Government Bill. By an English Medical Superintendent

Extract

This Bill, for the establishment of County Boards in England, contains several provisions affecting the care of the pauper insane, which renders it incumbent on us to examine carefully what will be the probable effect of the changes it produces, and its general tendency as bearing on the interests of lunacy. The principal enactment of the Bill is to take from Quarter Sessions, as now established, all administrative as distinguished from judicial business, the latter remaining with the Quarter Sessions, the former to be transacted by a new body, the County Board, constituted by equal moieties, appointed and elective members; the former to be Justices appointed by the Justices in Quarter Sessions, two for each Petty Sessional Division of the County, the latter to be elected by the Guardians not of each Union, but of each Petty Sessional Division, two in each such division; and the qualification is that they shall be guardians of that division or qualified to be guardians. The elective members of the Board to be ipso facto magistrates in all that regards administrative business.