View report page

10
4.—"The London County Council were in the Session of 1890, entrusted with
powers to initiate negotiations with the water companies, and to incur certain
limited expenditure in preliminary inquiries, but those inquiries are necessarily as
yet incomplete.
6.—"Your Committee recommend—
"(i.) That powers should be granted to the London County Council to expend
such further sums as may be reasonably necessary; in order
that they may examine thoroughly for themselves, as the responsible
municipal authority of London, the whole position of the metropolitan
water supply, and come to a conclusion as to the policy
which, for financial and other reasons, it is desirable to adopt.
"(ii.) That, if they should so resolve, they should have power to promote a
Bill or Bills in Parliament for the purpose of constituting themselves
the responsible water authority for London, acting through a
statutory committee, appointed either wholly by themselves, or
partly in conjunction with the Corporation of the City of London,
as suggested to your Committee on behalf of both bodies. Such
statutory committee to comprise a certain number of members
possessing special knowledge and qualifications, not necessarily
members of the body or bodies appointing.
"(iii.) That the London County Council, if constituted the water authority,
should be required to purchase, either alone or in conjunction with
such of the authorities of the outside areas as may be arranged, the
undertakings of the eight water companies (except possibly certain
lands of the New River Company) by agreement or, failing agreement,
by arbitration, within a fixed period.
"(iv.) That, subject to any such arrangements, the new water authority
should take over the duties and obligations which the present water
companies now have towards the consumers of water in the districts
outside the boundaries of the County of London, but within the
limits of supply of the present companies.
"(v.) That in the event of purchase by the new authority power should be
given to that authority, and to the authorities of the outside areas,
to negotiate for the purchase by the latter (a) of so much of the
works of distribution as is appropriated to the district of such local
authority, and of the right to a supply of water in bulk from the
new authority; or (b) possibly of some of the sources of supply
which, with their works of distribution, it might be found practicable
and advantageous to sever from the general scheme.
"(vi.) That those local authorities, which, like Croydon, Richmond, and
Tottenham, are situated within the metropolitan water area, but
have their own independent water supply, should, in the event of
the purchase of the water companies by the new water authority, be
guaranteed in the exercise of their present rights.
6.—"In the event of the undertakings of the companies not being acquired by
purchase, the Committee recommend that there should be a Parliamentary inquiry,
before which the interests of the whole of the consumers within the area of the present
metropolitan water supply ought to be represented, into the statutory powers
and obligations of the water companies, and the control which is now exercised by
public departments and the metropolitan and other authorities over them. In the
Appendix to the Minutes of Evidence will be found a memorandum setting out the
existing conditions, but it might possibly be found advantageous to make the
obligations and the control more complete.