View report page

£2
of the Usk, the Wye, and the Towy would furnish a suitable area from which supplies might be derived,
and that the Usk section should be undertaken in the first instance. After passing these resolutions,
however, delay was incurred by reason of the Council desiring further advice from Sir B. Baker and
Mr. Deacon, and although in 1897 these engineers reported in favour of the Welsh scheme as compared
with that of storage in the Thames valley, by that time the present Royal Commission had been
appointed by the Government, and thus we again felt ourselves unable to recommend the Council to
take parliamentary action. We proceeded nevertheless with the plans and sections, and these have all
been completed for both portions of the Welsh scheme. The work that remains to be done in order to
lay complete proposals before Parliament will take about three months to execute, but the referencing
for the portion of land taken for the reservoirs, &c., can be completed in propey time, and it
should not be impossible, if the referencing for the conduits is finished before Parliament meets, to
obtain a suspension of standing orders so as to enable Parliament to have the scheme properly before it.
We therefore propose that the Council should deposit a bill for obtaining water from Wales, but in
doing so we advise the Council to make an alteration in its former resolution. The Welsh scheme, as
approved in 1896, was divided into two parts, namely, the Usk section and the Wye section. We then
advised the Council to take up the Usk section in the first instance, but since that date Sir Benjamin
Baker and Mr. Deacon have expressed a preference in favour of the Wye section. The reasons which
actuated us in recommending the former were purely reasons of policy, and as the engineer himself has
throughout preferred to put forward the Wye section first, and recommends it now strongly as being
the better and the cheaper of the two, we think the Council would do well to rescind its former resolution,
and order a bill to be promoted for obtaining water from the valleys of the Wye and Towy upon
the lines set out in our former report with reference to that portion of the engineer's scheme. The
estimate of cost in our former report has been slightly reduced, the total amount necessary for providing
a daily supply of 200,000,000 gallons being £16,546,000, and this will probably be expended in three
instalments.
The following resolutions were adopted by the Council—
1. That a bill be promoted in the coming session of Parliament for the purchase, by the Council, of
the undertakings of the eight metropolitan water companies, by agreement, or failing agreement, by
compulsion.
2. That, subject to such provision as may be made by Parliament as to the ultimate authority or
authorities, provision be made for the undertakings of the companies vesting in the Council at a date
not later than six months after the passing of the Act.
3. That the bill contain provisions authorising the Council to proceed forthwith with the connecting
and laying of mains and other works necessary in order to enable it to protect any part of the metropolis
from want of water.
4. That the arbitration clause be so framed as to render it certain that in the case of each company
the arbitrator will have regard to all such circumstances as may be brought before him, and that no
allowance shall be made in respect of compulsory sale except for cost of re-investment (if any).
5. That, subject to further negotiation thereon with the local authorities the clauses with respect
to the supply of outside areas should follow the principle of the bills promoted by the Council in 1895.
6. That the understanding with the Corporation of the City of London, with regard to their representation
on the Water Committee, be adhered to if they so desire.
7. That a bill (or bills) be promoted in the coming session of Parliament for the purpose of
empowering the Council to bring an additional supply of water to London from the watersheds of the
Wye and Towy on the general lines of the report of the Water Committee approved by the Council on
April 21, 1896, in so far as it applies to the Wye section of the engineer's scheme.
8. That it be referred to the Parliamentary Committee to prepare and present to the Council the
necessary bills for carrying out the above resolutions.
The medical officers of health of the districts supplied by the East London. Waterworks
Company, the City, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, St. George-in-the-East, Limehouse, Mile-end Old-town,
and Poplar, give account in their reports of the failure of constant supply from August to the early
part of December. The inmates of houses without storage cisterns had to depend upon such temporary
provision as could be made. In the City, 77 houses without cisterns have, " no means of flushing the
drains and waterclosets when the water is turned off, and some of the closets were in an unspeakable
condition of filth." In Shoreditch, " much inconvenience, discomfort, distress, and danger to health
resulted." In Whitechapel " it soon became apparent that the pans of the water-closets in the
homes of the poor were liable to become choked, and the house drains became foul when they were
used by many people." The water company gave notice of the times when the water would be turned
on, provided stand-pipes, and supplied stoneware jars to those persons who required them for the
purpose of storage of water ; jars were also supplied, the medical officer of health of Limehouse states,
by the Evening News. The City Corporation, moreover, supplied water from their artesian well which
was used for the flushing of streets, drains, and water-closets in Whitechapel. The sanitary authorities
did their best to supply information to the inhabitants and to clear drains and closets which became
choked from want of water. Notwithstanding the conditions produced by the insufficiency of the
water supply, it does not appear that the medical officers of health associate increased mortality
with this insufficiency.
The medical officer of health of Kensington discusses the powers of water companies to cut off the
water supply from a house, and, referring to the Act of 1887, which materially limited these powers, says,
41 Surely the time has come when the power to cut off the supply from an inhabited house should cease,"
and that " the company should be left to their remedy for the recovery of the rate as a debt, like other
traders." He states that the East London Company abandoned the practice of cutting off some years
ago, and he understands from the secretary that they have had no cause to regret their decision. The
company sues the defaulter. He understands further that the New River Company summons
largely in preference to cutting off. He points out, however, that " the magistrates have no jurisdiction
unless the company proceed within six months of the debt becoming due, and the debt, i.e., the rate,
is due in advance. Inasmuch, therefore, as the companies only collect half-yearly, they must proceed
before the expiration of the six months, and hence have to sue before the second quarter has expired
which appears to be a hardship." He thinks " if greater facilities were given to the companies for
recovering the rate, probably they would be willing to waive their right to cut off the supply or
consent to its abolition." With respectto the examination of water by the public analyst, Dr. Dudfield