View report page

148
to all new estates and buildings, and where new services are laid down
constant supply is made compulsory by the Company, on outside stop
valves being fixed; 1,176 houses were put on constant supply during
the year, and in May, 1886, the number of houses on constant supply
was 19,595, out of a total of 67,596.
The Grand Junction Company in May, 1886, were giving constant supply
to 39,239 houses, out of a total of 52,113: the increase during the year
1885 was 5,656. The system has been extended to North Kensington.
The Chelsea Company in May, 1886. were giving constant supply to 1,901
houses (increase during the past year, 718), out of a total of 34,026;
and are fully prepared to extend the system as required. Judging from
the few applications made for constant supply, there appears to be
little desire on the part of the public authorities, or private individuals,
in any of the districts, for the continuous service; but all new estates
and new lines of streets are being so supplied voluntarily. The Chelsea
Water Company is the only one of the eight Metropolitan Water
Companies which has given no notice of its intention to substitute a
constant for an intermittent supply under the provisions of the Act of
1871.
By way of contrast, and to show how backward the Western Companies
are in the matter of constant supply, as compared with the Companies
in the East of London, it may be mentioned that the East London
Waterworks Company now give constant supply to 136,784, out of a
total of 154,642 houses supplied by them, and containing an estimated
population of 1,159,815 persons. But considerable advance was made
during the past year in London as a whole, in extending the constant
supply: 320,278, out of the total number of 704,066 houses supplied,
being now on constant service; an increase of 41,327.
The number of miles of streets containing mains constantly charged, and
on which hydrants for fire extinguishing purposes could at once be
fixed, in the districts of the local Companies were, in December, West
Middlesex, 94½; Grand Junction, 78; and Chelsea, 73½, The Companies
are ready to affix hydrants on the mains whenever required to
do so. In the Metropolis there were 8,450 hydrants, the total length
of mains being 1,133 miles; the increase, in mains, during 1885, was
155¼ miles, and in number of hydrants, 1,244.
Deterioration of Water in Dirty Cisterns.—The Local
Government Board, some time ago, addressed a circular letter to
Sanitary Authorities in the Metropolis, stating that the Water
Examiner had drawn their attention to the serious deterioration
which water frequently undergoes, after delivery, by being kept in
impure cisterns, and they sent an extract from one of his reports
on the examination of the water supplied by the Companies. Sir