Public Health Act.
33 of the law.
The districts of the Rural Sanitary Authorities, consist¬ ing exclusively of Boards of Guardians, cover a very large propor¬ tion of the whole country in area, population, and net annual value.
These last-mentioned bodies, which are in intimate and constant communication with the Local Government Board and their Inspectors, show a far greater amount of activity than that which prevails in the rest of the country both as to sewerage and water-supply ; the exercise of their functions being greatly facilitated by that peculiar provision of the Irish Public Health A.et
which admits of the population for whose benefit the works are under¬ taken, being exclusively taxed for the expenditure.
This is effected by an order under Seal of the Local Government Board, defining the area of taxation in every case where special sanitary works are undertaken.
30.
The disposition to take advantage of this power of the Local Government Board, especially for the supply of pure water, has continued to develop itself more and more in the Rural Districts as the matter became better known and understood.
For several years previous to the Public Health Act, 1874, the Electoral Division was the only area of charge for this purpose, and when a populous Townland was in urgent need of a water-supply the remote Townlands of the same Electoral Division naturally objected to be taxed for purposes from which they could derive no benefit.
But by the 13th section of the Public Health Act, 1874, the Townland was made a contributory area, so as to be taxed alone or in combination with other Townlands, as might be determined after inquiry and consideration by the Local Government Board.
In our Annual Report, dated 31st March, 1876, it was reported that 79 of these orders, fixing areas of charge, had been issued in the course of the year, involving upwards of 1,200 Townlands, situate in 62 different unions.
In the next Annual Report, dated.
31st March, 1877, was reported the issue of 89 similar orders, affecting 2,229 Townlands, situate in 60 different unions.
We have now to report the issue within the last year of 122 similar orders, affecting 2,295 Townlands, situate in 81 different unions, the details of which will be found in the Appendix.
Upon the whole, then, 290 orders, fixing the area of charge for sewerage or water-supply, or both, have been issued during the three complete years beginning from 31st March, 1875, affect¬ ing 5,724 different Townlands, situate in 450 different areas.
These orders have been applied for by 132 different Boards of Guardians, acting as Rural Sanitary Authorities.
31.
The thirty-one remaining Rural Sanitary Districts, from which no application for an area-of-charge order has yet pro¬ ceeded are either identical with, or situate within the limits of the following Poor Law Unions, viz.:
Antrim, Ballinasloe, Bally-mena, Belmullet, Borrisokane, Boyle, Carrick-on-Shannon, Castle-blayney, Corrofin, Dingle, Dundalk, Dunfanaghy, Dunshaughlin, Edenderry, Ennis, Enniskillen, Galway, Gort, Eells, Kenmare, Killadysert, Killala, Lisnaskea, Londonderry, Longford, Maghera-felt, Manorhamilton, Newport^ New Ross, Oughterard, and
