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206
WORK OF DEPARTMENT.
It is now about 2½ years since the formation of this Department which
had its commencement in a small room at Berwick House without either
furniture or instruments. A commencement was made by myself, on the
29th September, 1889, with a drawing board on two tressles, and with the
use of my own instruments.
Subsequently two assistants were appointed, and gradually instruments
and necessary articles were obtained to make the plans and apportionments.
The work increased daily until we were presenting 9 and 10 plans every
Committee. By various stages the work progressed until our first road was
advertised for in January, 1891, and at almost every Vestry subsequently
3, 4 and sometimes 8 and 9 roads were advertised for, so that the work of
making plans and apportionments, and the making up of the roads went on
simultaneously from this date.
The whole of the work of the New Streets' Department was carried on
in this one room until we removed into our present offices at the Town Hall
which now admit of the work being carried on with greater ease and
expedition. Our commencement although small, has developed, and we are
now an important department, spending, during the last year, £26,468.
Since our formation as a separate department no less than 111 plans
and apportionments have been sealed in duplicate.
CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO.
During the past year 37 plans and apportionments have been sealed, and
52 roads have been completed, representing 4½ miles in length, in which the
following quantities of materials have been used:-
283,536 Superficial feet of paving
31,504 Feet cube of kerb
33,315 Loads of earth excavated
21,002 Loads of hard core
7,000 Loads of gravel
5,250 Loads of flints
47,256 Feet run of channelling
With a total area of 21½ acres of finished roadway, and taking the
average annual rainfall at 25 inches, this would give an additional volume
of about twelve and a quarter millions of gallons of surface water
added to the Metropolitan sewage. This affords a good opportunity
of drawing the attention of the London County Council to the fact
of the flooding that constantly takes place during storms, and to
the necessity of affording some relief to over-charged sewers during
such periods. As Fulham is gradually developed and the streets
paved and drained, the volume of surface water turned into the
sewers, will, I think, prove that the sewers are absolutely inadequate in
size to take away the volume of sewage and water turned into them. This
also opens up another question of some importance as to whether it would
not be practicable to form Fulham into districts on the separate system,
and drain their surface waters by gravitation into the Thames, and so save
the reconstruction of a great part of the Metropolitan system, and having
regard to the fact that the whole of the Metropolitan sewage is now
treated chemically, such a scheme would save this annual expenditure for
treatment of the surface water of this district.