View report page

12
appears that the East London Company are greatly in advance of the New
River Company in their arrangements for giving their respective districts
water on the constant service; and so far as this district is concerned, the
East London Company are not only willing but desirous to supply the whole
of it with water on the high-pressure system.
I can state that a very large number of houses, and nearly the whole of
courts, on the north side of "Whitechapel, which are in the district of the
East London Company are now supplied with water upon the constant service;
and I am informed that the whole of the houses, with the exception of
those from the east of Baker's Row to the boundary of this District, will be
so supplied by the end of the summer ; but I regret that 1 cannot report so
favorably of the progress made in the extension of the constant service by
the New River Company; for in Love Court, Whitechapel, in which there
are 38 houses, 33 of them are supplied with water by the New River Company,
and 5 by the East London. Those houses which are supplied by the
New River have an intermittent supply, while those supplied by the East
London are upon the constant service. The New River Company having
cut off the supply of water to the houses numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4, Love
Court, owing to the fittings being defective, they informed me of the
fact, when I immediately directed the Inspector to serve a notice on the
owner to forthwith re-connect the pipes and put up proper fittings, or proceedings
would be taken under the provisions of the Nuisances' Removal Act
to compel him to supply the houses with water. In this instance the
Company, instead of insisting that the fittings should be made suitable for receiving
water on the constant service, directed that cisterns should be erected,
and the houses are again supplied on the intermittent service; although the
owner stated that he was anxious to have the water on the constant service, in
a similar manner to that of his two other houses, Nos. 5 and 6, in the same
court, which are supplied by the East London Company. The New River Company
however declined to accede to his request; and their officer, when spoken
to by your Inspector on this and some other cases, said that the Company were
unwilling to put the owners of such property to the expense of so altering
their fittings as to adapt them for the reception of water on the constant
service. If this statement be confirmed by the Directors of the Company
I shall be sorry for it; for, in my opinion, it is just this kind of property
which should be supplied with water direct from the main, without the
intervention of butts or cisterns. The "Water Companies have the power,
under the seventh section of the Water Act, to supply all the houses in their
respective districts with water on the constant service, which in crowded
neighbourhoods ought to be done; for the appearance of the water which
is usually found in the receptacles now in use in such localities is
repulsive, and is unfit for dietetic purposes. I suppose there can be no
difficulty on the part of the New River Company supplying all the houses
in their district with water on the constant service; for it appears from the
observations of Mr. Baxter, who attended with a deputation of the Metro