View report page

15
amendment was lost by 59 votes to 48, showing that a considerable
minority of the Council were not in favour of the scheme. At the
Meeting of the Council held on the 8th December last, when the Bills,
as prepared by a Committee were under consideration, amendments to
some of the provisions were proposed, and divisions thereon resulted as
follows:— 53 votes to 51, and 55 votes to 53; and upon the main question
to approve of the Bills there were 61 votes in favour to 54 against.
The scheme does not therefore come before Parliament with the full
confidence and support of its promoters.
7.— The area of supply of the Metropolitan Water Companies comprises
620 square miles, of which the Metropolis contains only 121
square miles. If a water authority is to be created for the whole of the
water area it would be fair and reasonable that the local authorities outside
London should be represented on the water authority. If on the
other hand the water authority is to have jurisdiction over the Metropolitan
area only, and the provisions of the Bill relating to the outside
area be acted upon, there would be great and perhaps insurmountable
practical difficulties in severing the mains, pipes, and works of distribution,
and dividing them amongst a large number of local authorities, and
in settling the values of the respective sections of the works and of the
rights to be transferred. Assuming, however, that these difficulties can
be got over, then, judging from the strong opposition to the scheme
hitherto shown by the authorities outside the Metropolitan area, it would
be impossible to satisfy those authorities except upon terms which would
be to the disadvantage of the Metropolis financially, and which would
seriously effect the supply to London of water which is now brought
from the districts of such authorities. It is in the districts surrounding
the Metropolitan area that the greatest increase of population is to be
looked for. The question of the supply of water there is daily becoming
of more and more importance, and if all the Local Authorities of those
districts are to be also Water Authorities there will be constant competition
and disputes amongst them, and between them and the Metropolitan
Water Authority, as to the use of sources of supply, leading to expensive
litigation.
8.— The Bills now introduced have the same object as the Bills
which were promoted by the Council in the Session of 1895, and which
were rejected by the House of Commons upon second reading on the
24th March, 1896, by a majority of 287 against 125. A very large sum
must have been expended by the Council in the promotion of the Bills
of 1895-96, and in Parliamentary and other proceedings and enquiries in
connection with the matter, and after such a decisive rejection of their
scheme it is submitted that the further expense attending the promotion
of the present Bills ought not to be incurred. The Board of Works for