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213
County Council to adopt the Act within a limited time, and
take the place of the Trust. The principal provisions of
these measures were set out in Appendices to a "Report of
the Parliamentary Committee of the County Council on the
London Water Bills," a copy of which was furnished to the
several members of your Vestry. The Committee criticised
both Bills unfavourably, and, while agreeing that the Council
should be the Water Authority for London, asserted that
compulsion to buy out the Companies would involve an
expenditure much greater than was necessary for placing the
supply upon a satisfactory basis, such as the Council could
arrange if empowered to deal with the subject with a free
hand. The third measure, "London Water (Meter)," was
also a Public Bill, but introduced by private members, to
enable consumers, at their.option, to be supplied with water
for domestic purposes by "meter." The Bill found little
favour, and it is needless to criticise its details. Suffice it to
say that to stint the supply of water for domestic purposes—
the natural effect of such a measure if carried out in practice
—would be about as unwise a course, from the public health
point of view, as could well be conceived. The reasons
which determined my opposition to former Bills of this
description have been more than once stated in these
Reports, and they need not now be repeated; but I may
mention that the Society of Medical Officers of Health
resolved, at my instance, to petition against the Bill. The
several Bills were referred to a Committee of the House, but
none of them passed into law.
During the Parliamentary session of 1892 the Corporation
of London and the County Council joined in bringing
in a Bill ("London Water"), the main object of which
was to constitute a Water Committee, comprising representatives
of both bodies, whose duties would be to conduct
inquiries into the whole question of the water supply of
London, and the possible sources of supply, with power to