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agents for compelling payment of their dues. With the view
of rectifying this unsatisfactory state of affairs, the Earl of
Camperdown brought into the House of Lords a Bill for regulating
the powers of water companies, its main object being to
take away the power of cutting off the water from a house, the
occupier of which had not paid his water rate. After enquiry by a
Select Committee the House passed the Bill, which, however,
was opposed in the Commons, and ultimately dropped.
In the current Session a Measure entitled "Water Companies
(Regulation of Powers) Bill" described as "A Bill to
limit the powers of the Water Companies to cut off the Tenants'
Water Supply where the rate is paid by the landlord," has been
introduced in the Lower House, and your Vestry have petitioned
the House in its favour. If passed into law, it would prevent
the recurrence of such a scandal, from the cutting off of the water
supply of a whole street of tenements, as occurred in 1885 at
Hayden's Mews. It would also give effect to the views on the
subject set out in my Special Report on that case, views which
were endorsed by your Vestry; and it would carry out, I believe, in
a satisfactory manner, the principle of Lord Camperdown's Bill.
The new measure makes provision, as I have long recommended,
for treating the water rate as a debt to be recovered—primarily,
after notice to pay—from the occupier, who is entitled to deduct the
amount paid to the Company out of the rent then due, or that
may next become due, from him, when the owner and not the
occupier is liable by law or agreement with the Company to t 13
payment of the rate, which is to be a charge on the dwelling
house in priority to all other charges affecting the premises.
METROPOLITAN WATER SUPPLY.
The Metropolitan Board of Works resolved, October 30th,
1885, to authorise their Parliamentary Committee to prepare a
bill "to extend the operation of the 144th section of the Metropolis
Management Act, 1885, so as to enable the Board to
submit to Parliament a Bill dealing with the water supply of