HEALTH AND WELFARE. 255 
Public Health Acts. 
it is generally recognised that the first comprehensive Public 
Health Act, brought into force in 1875, made possible the marked ad- 
vances in public health which have taken place in England since that 
date. Although sections dealing with public health matters find a place 
in every municipal and local boards Act in India, these are in many res- 
pects disconnected and incomplete, and public health legislation requires 
considerable amendment and addition. We consider that the time is 
ripe for the passing of comprehensive Public Health Acts in all pro- 
vinces. 
Water Supplies. 
The first necessity of any community is a suitable water supply. 
In this direction many employers have given a lead. A number of 
the jute mills have provided piped water in the adjoining housing areas, 
whilst, through the agency of a Water Board constituted for the purpose, 
the mining industry in Jharia has provided an elaborate water supply at a 
cost of 90 lakhs. Other industrial concerns have sunk tube wells and 
artesian wells with satisfactory results. In all these areas and where 
municipal councils have introduced piped supplies, water-borne disease 
should ordinarily give little trouble. Even where piped water is avail- 
able, however, the distribution is often unsatisfactory, and this difficulty is 
enhanced by the general waste of water by the workers. Either there are 
too few taps or there is an intermittent supply or the system has not been 
extended to those areas, so that shallow wells and tanks have to be used. 
These conditions all favour outbreaks of water-borne disease. Where 
piped water supplies are not yet provided, it becomes all the more neces- 
sary to ensure that every precaution be taken to keep available supplies 
as pure as possible. Tube wells might be more frequently employed and, 
if surface wells must be used, they should be kept in good repair and re- 
gularly inspected by the sanitary staff. Where an industry begins to 
develop in a new area previously sparsely populated and devoid of any 
protected water supply, it should be the duty of the employers to provide 
suitable water for their workers. Where, as frequently happens, the 
development takes place on the boundary or outskirts of a municipal 
area, we consider it would be of advantage for the municipal council and 
the industry to co-operate in order to avoid competition for available 
sources. 
General Sanitation. 
i Even with a safe water supply, bad sanitation creates condi- 
tions favourable to the spread of disease. In many of the housing areas 
We visited sanitary conditions were deplorable and were bound to 
have the most detrimental effect on general health. With better 
Organisation of health departments and sanitary staffs, improvements 
In this respect should be secured. We must also remark on the great 
lack of latrine accommodation in every industrial area we have seen.