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of the Board's Chairman, George Phillips, Esq., J.P., when the following
District Boards and Vestries were represented by two delegates each—
viz., Lewisham, Limehouse, St. Saviour's, Wandsworth and Holborn District
Boards, and Battersea, Camberwell, Chelsea, Clerkenwell, St. George's-inthe-East,
Hackney, Hammersmith, Islington, St. James's, Westminster,
Kensington, Lambeth, St. Luke's, St. Martin's, Newington, Paddington
and Rotherhithe Vestries, the delegates being accompanied in many
cases by one or more of their principal officers. Considerable interest was
manifested throughout the proceedings, and the difficulties in dealing with
questions of combined drainage constantly occurring in all parts of the
Metropolis were fully and clearly placed before the meeting by the
Chairman, together with the Acts of Parliament now in force, and the
effect of the cases in which questions of this kind had been decided from
time to time in the various courts of law. After considerable debate, from
which the great importance of the questions became more and more
apparent, resolutions were passed almost unanimously to the following
effect: "That a memorial be presented to the London County Council,
calling attention to the difficulties which have been experienced by Local
Sanitary Authorities in dealing with questions of combined drainage, and
the responsibilities of the said Local Authorities in reference thereto, and
that the Council be requested to take steps with a view of obtaining an
amendment of the definition of the word "drain" in section 250 of "The
Metropolis Local Management Act, 1885," and that the Council be asked
to receive a deputation from the Conference."
Following the Conference a memorial was duly prepared by the Secretary,
and presented by a deputation of the Members of the Conference to
a Committee of the Council, when the delegates comprising the deputation
had an opportunity given them of fully explaining the wishes of the Local
Authorities in respect to the question under consideration.
The Council not having expressed its intention to take action in accordance
with the views of the Local Authorities, the subject was not allowed
to rest where it had been left, and the Council was asked to receive a
deputation direct from the District Boards and Vestries, Before deciding
what course should be adopted. A date having been arranged for this
deputation to attend, it was thought advisable to again assemble the Conference,
with a view of arranging the course of action to be adopted by
the deputation when before the Council.
The Conference was therefore assembled for the second time on the
21st January last, when the chair was occupied by Mr. Solomon Jacobs,