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14
and must be members, of the Council, and the remaining Members are
to be appointed by the Common Council of the City. The control
would therefore be in the hands of the Council.
3.— The London County Council has sufficient work on its hands
in carrying out the very extensive and increasing duties which already
devolve upon it under the numerous Acts of Parliament relating to the
government of the County of London.
4.— The Bills would transfer to the service of the Council a staff of
some thousands of officers and workmen, which a body like the Council,
with so many other duties to carry out, could not control with efficiency
and economy.
5.— It would appear, from the proceedings of the Council and from
the opinions which have been expressed on their behalf, that they are
prejudiced against the present system of supply in London, notwithstanding
the report of the Royal Commission of 1893 t0 the effect that the
water as supplied to the consumer in London is of a very high standard
of excellence and of purity, and that it is suitable in quality for all household
purposes; and with respect to the quantity of water to be obtained
within the watersheds of the Thames and the Lea that if the proposals
recommended by theC ommission were adopted a sufficient supply to
meet the wants of the Metropolis for a long time to come might be found
without any prejudice to the claims, or material injury to the interests, of
any district outside the area of Greater London, If the control of the
water supply be placed in the hands of the Council great expense would
in all probability be incurred by them in obtaining a supply from Wales,
instead of making fuller and better use of the present sources of supply.
It may be added that the Commission approved of a proposal for the
construction of storage reservoirs in the Thames Valley, and that powers
for proceeding with the construction of two reservoirs were obtained in
the last Session of Parliament by a Joint Committee representing three
of the Metropolitan Water Companies.
6.— The motion at the Meeting of the Council on the 10th November
last to introduce the Bills now in question was met by an amendment
to the effect that the purchase of the undertakings should be subject to
a provision that in the event of an Act being passed in this Session constituting
an authority to deal with the Metropolitan water supply the
Bills should be read as if such authority had been named therein instead
of the Council; that the Government should be requested to introduce
a Bill constituting an authority to deal with the water supply of the area
now supplied by the Water Companies, and to appoint a Special Commission
to enquire as to the relations between London and the outside
areas, and for other purposes in connection with the matter. This