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98
The Water Examiner directs attention to the recommendations of the Royal Commission,
over which Lord Llandaff presided, that it should be made obligatory on the companies to pass
water drawn from the river into a storage reservoir before letting it on to the filter beds, and he
states: "At present some of the companies which have large storage reservoirs take water direct
from the river or merely run it through some of their smaller reservoirs before passing it on to the
filter beds." He further points out the need for water issuing from each filter bed to be delivered
into a distinct well, so that distinctive samples may be obtained for examination, and failure in
the efficiency of filtration may be traced to the particular filter which is at fault. In the report
of Dr. Thorpe the variations during the year on the amount of organic carbon, "oxygen consumed,"
and organic nitrogen in each company's water are shown diagrammatically. The effect
on the water supplied of the flood in the rivers in June, already referred to (see page 58), are
thus made obvious.
At a time when cholera was threatening London, inquiry was made on behalf of the
Council concerning wells providing private supplies, and a number of such wells which were found
to be supplying water unfit for drinking purposes were closed. Communications with regard to
such supplies were, a few years later, addressed to medical officers of health and various well
waters were examined; under the instructions of the Public Health Committee this was again
repeated in 1902. The report of the medical officer of Wandsworth contains a list of premises
having private supplies and the changes effected since the inquiry was instituted. Dr. Thorpe
states in his report that his examination of water drawn from the stand-pipe in Riding-housestreet
showed that the water was of different quality from that usually found in water derived
from the Thames. Inquiry led to the discovery that there was a 1 in. connection between the
communication pipe supplying the Langham Hotel and the system of deep-well water supply
within the hotel, and that a cock had accidentally been left open leading to admixture of the
two waters. He adds : "In the case of the Langham Hotel water no harm was done, as the deep-well
supply was of excellent quality; but when it is remembered that in London there must be
numerous private supplies, used for trade purposes, derived from more or less polluted sources, it
is obvious that the accidental introduction of such water into the service mains might lead to very
grave consequences.,,
The London Equalisation of Rates Act, 1894.
The Equalisation of Rates Act provides that the London County Council shall in each year
form a fund equal to a rate of sixpence in the pound on the rateable value of London. The contribution
from each parish to the fund is to be in proportion to its rateable value. The fund thus
formed is to be distributed among the sanitary districts in proportion to their population. Where a
sanitary district comprises two or more parishes, and the aggregate of the contributions from such
parishes is less that the grant apportioned to the district, the difference shall be paid out of the
fund to the sanitary authority of the district, and no payment towards any equalisation charge
shall be required from any parish in the district.
Subject to the above, when the contribution from a parish is less than the grant due, the
difference shall be paid out of the fund to the sanitary authority of the district forming or comprising
the parish ; and if it exceeds the grant to the parish, the Council shall, for the special
purpose of meeting the excess, levy on the parish a county contribution as a separate item of the
county rate.
Every sum paid to a sanitary authority must be applied in defraying the expenses of the
sanitary authority incurred under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and so far as not required
for that purpose those incurred in respect of lighting, and so far as not required for that purpose
those incurred in respect of streets, and where the sanitary district comprises two or more parishes
the sum paid must be apportioned among such parishes in proportion to their population, and the
amount apportioned to each parish credited to each parish in the reduction of the rate required
from such parish towards the above-mentioned expenses.
The sanitary authority is required to render annually to the Local Government Board a
return showing the amount of the sum to be paid and the total expenses incurred in respect of the
three subjects mentioned.
If the Local Government Board, under section 101 of the Public Health (London) Act, are
satisfied that the sanitary authority have been guilty of such default as in such section mentioned,
and have made an order limiting a time for the performance of the duty of the authoritv,
the London County Council shall, if directed by the Local Government Board, withhold the whole
or any part of the payment of the sum due to such authority.
The Act provides that for the purposes of the distribution of the fund an estimate of population
on the 6th April in each year will be made by the Registrar-General upon returns which
the Local Government Board will receive from the authority making the poor rate in each parish
showing the total number of houses entered in the rate book of the parish.