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54
"5- Three months before any company shall resort to any
new source of supply, such company shall give notice in writing
thereof to the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for
Trade and Plantations (hereinafter called the Board of Trade),
and thereupon, within one month after receipt of such notice,
the said Board of Trade shall, if they think fit, appoint a competent
person as an inspector, who shall report with respect to
any sources then specially authorised by Parliament: whether
the directions of the special Act have been complied with in
reference thereto, and with respect to any new sources not
specially authorised by Parliament, whether the same are
capable of supplying good and wholesome water for domestic
purposes."
Section 15 of the same Act provided a penalty for any breach of
the Act. This runs as follows :—
"16. Any company which shall violate, refuse or neglect
to comply with any of the provisions hereinbefore contained
shall forfeit to Her Majesty the sum of two hundred pounds,
and the further sum of one hundred pounds for every month
during which they shall continue to violate or to refuse or
neglect to comply with the same after they shall have received
notice in writing from the Board of Trade to discontinue such
violation, refusal or neglect as aforesaid."
A copy of our report was forwarded to the Local Government
Board, with the immediate result of the supply in question being
discontinued for public use. We are not aware whether the Local
Government Board considered it desirable to proceed against the
East London Water Company for the penalty provided by the above
section.
This incident impresses one with the feeling of great insecurity
with regard to the supervision and control of our water supplies.
The Water Company evidently did not regard the statutory duty of
giving notice to the Local Government Board before resorting to
any new source of supply with that seriousness which the Board
attach to it or which the subject deserves.