The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 539 - 279 The Power Lust of Scotland Yard_3

7. Drinking water must be clean; filtered water is the best. Avoid excessive alcohol, do not drink spirits, beer, or apple cider, but a small amount of high-quality wine may be consumed.

Chadwick glanced over the pamphlet, and as Arthur had said, this manual was apparently much more acceptable than the Russian experiences.

Chadwick, thrilled as if he had found a treasure, exclaimed, "Everything written here is completely correct. I even think it could be submitted to the Central Health Committee today and, after amendments, distributed directly by Scotland Yard to each parish."

Seeing his expression, Arthur knew the manual matter was probably settled, but this was just an appetizer.

Although the Paris Police Prefecture’s powers were not as extensive as Russia’s Third Section of His Imperial Majesty’s Own Chancellery, they were still worlds apart from Scotland Yard’s. How could they possibly be content with just simple tasks like distributing pamphlets?

Arthur handed over another document: "Organizing prevention and control propaganda is certainly important, but the organization of environmental health work by the Paris Police Prefecture is also crucial. Perhaps you are unaware that they are the leading body for sanitation work in Paris. To deal with the ever-looming threat of cholera, the French Government as well granted authority to establish the Central Health Committee, only, unlike Britain, their committee operates not under the direction of the Privy Council but under the arrangements of the Paris Police Prefecture."

As far as I know, they divided Paris into 12 large district health committees and 48 street health committees, which are responsible for supervising the entire sanitation situation in Paris. The Central Health Committee’s role is to offer advice to the Government while receiving and discussing reports submitted by the health committees of districts and neighborhoods, and proposing necessary corrective measures."

The district health committees act as intermediaries between the Central Health Committee and the street health committees, responsible for relaying information up and down without much actual authority. Meanwhile, the street health committees report not only to the Central Health Committee but also to the Paris Police Prefecture."

Moreover, the Paris Police Prefecture also required the establishment of at least one medical aid station based at the police stations in each neighborhood. A medical aid station should be staffed daily with at least six doctors, one pharmacist, six medical students, six attendants, and two nurses.

Additionally, last week, the Paris Police Prefecture demanded a strict inspection of guesthouses, hotels, and rental properties, including but not limited to checking the passports, visas, and residence permits of guests, registering their names, ages, permanent addresses, and occupations. Operators are obligated to report to the local police chief within a specified period. Ordinary citizens providing free lodging to guests must adhere to the same rules. As for foreigners or tourists without documents, they must apply for a residence permit at the police station within three days of arriving in Paris, or they will be handed over to the courts for processing."

Upon hearing all this, Chadwick immediately understood Arthur’s point.

Whether it was the Central Health Committee’s plan or the French plan just presented by Arthur, both would inevitably require an expansion of government power.

Although Arthur’s French plan seemed to suggest less expansion of power than the Central Health Committee’s, if Parliament indeed decided to choose the French model, well...

Because, although both involved the expansion of government power, the ruling entities in the two plans differed markedly.

The Central Health Committee’s plan advocated for devolving power to local parishes, with the police acting merely as an auxiliary to the work of the local committees.

Once Arthur’s French plan passed, Scotland Yard would immediately become the absolute center of authority for health and medical affairs in the London area, holding substantive decision-making power in cholera prevention and treatment.

Chadwick held the documents, his eyes fixed intently on Arthur: "Arthur, do you realize what you have just said?"

Arthur nodded slightly: "Of course, I do, but now is not the time to quarrel. One of the plans must be passed, whether it is the Russian or the French. We don’t have time to draft a British one from scratch, do we? We at least need to have a temporary plan to start with, right?"

Chadwick looked at him for a long moment, then suddenly smiled and extended his hand: "I agree. You might not know, but everyone calls me the Prussian officer of the Lord Chancellor’s office. Since they do not wish for the Lord Chancellor’s office to have too much power, handing it over to a secondary department like Scotland Yard would suffice, right? I’ll take these documents for now, and I can handle the High Chancellor’s side. But before that, I have a request, and if you don’t agree, the Lord Chancellor might not be willing to give in."

Arthur asked, "Please, go ahead."

Chadwick began, "The Lord Chancellor’s office will select a few people to join the Central Health Committee at Scotland Yard, and the highest leadership position must be held by our people. This is something you and Director Rowan must agree to."