The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-02-14 00:00:00

MK. WHITEHEAD AND THE BOARD.

Some ordinary routine business having been dis-
posed of, the Board proceeded—to use the words on
the agenda limper —"To further consider the ques-
tion between the Board soil Mr. Whitehead, under
his contract, and decide on the course to be adopted
in regard thereto."
The ThwN • I.Kint read the whole of the corres-
pondence which hid passed between hint, as the
representative of the Kuril. and Mr. Whitehead,
which for the mod part hail reference to the demand
maile upon the Board by Mr. Whitelostl, throueh
his solicitors, for the payment of the balance of
account due from the Board to him of xlsO. The
Board had hitherto declined to pay Mr. Whitehead
in full in consequence of their belief that his con.
tract had not been efficiently performed; whereas,
Mr. Whitehead affirmed that his plans had in the
first instance been approved by the General Beard of
'lath, and that subsequently the Government
Inspector hail affirmed that these public works were
properly mrried out. It should be stated that when
the B. ant alleged that the contract VMS not fulfilled,
Mr. Whitehead offered to leave the question for the
arbitration of Mr. Symonds (the Town Clerk) or
any other disinterested person appointed by him—
the arbitrator to slate in what particulars Mr.
Whitehead had fiulcd in his contract, and he would
hind himself to make good the de 6:lens:les, if any.
Mr. Syiuonihi declined to act, and n arbitrator being
appointed by the Board, Mr. Whitehead instructed
his solicitors to make a perempto .e demand fur the
payment of his account. It appeared that Mr.
Whitehead hail taken the opinion f Mr. C,deridge
as to the liability of the Board, and that learned
menisci was very decelley in favour of the legality
and justice of Mr. Whitelicaurs claim. It also ap•
'seared that the lloanl, on the other hand, had pre-
pared a ease cuilsalv Mg all the facts all they stoinl
between the Board and their engineer, and submitted
that cane for the advice of Mr. Kisigdon, who, bee.
ing given the most careful attention to the whole
matter, came to the conclusion to advise the Board
to settle Mr. Whitehead's claim.
Mr. A I.IIRIDGE : After the legal opinion we
have received, I wove that the sum claimed by Mr.
Whitehead be at taunt paid.
Mr. Masos : As we Isave no option in the matter,
l her; to second the motion.
Mr. IA A LPIN said he 414.111h1 not allow the subject to
peas without calling their attention to their position
in 1w54, and comparing it with their posit... at the
present Lime. Mr. tialpin then proceeded, amidst
some manifestations of impatiens-v. 41 the part of serc.
ral members of the Board, to shew from papers which
lie hal lwfore bun how it was that in the early his-
tory of their connection with Mr. Whitehead he hail
approved 551,1 supported him ; and how it happened
that, at a later period, he hail felt that the confidence
he oner reposed in him hail been destroyed. Ile
slooved the gradual increase of the estimated expen-
diture from year to year -the original contract hay-
ing been .0,350, whence the estimates successively
rose to .C 10.500 then to 11.500, then £2,000 more
were wanted, with the Adak 1111 l nowt probably of
another asttl, making a total cost for these public
works of £14,000. Ilia disappointment as to the
very great increase of the cost was all the greater
tsince Mr. Whitehead, on his appointment. had he, n
at much pains No sli.sw them by reference to the works
at Ottery St. Mary, amid other plasma with which he
had been connected, that the original estimates bad
in all those canes been accurately framed, the excess
of cost being comparatively very trilling in amount.
Mr. Galpin noticed sonic errors awl discrepancies
in certain statements made by Mr. Whitehead
with the view to ace tin some degree ter the ex-
cea.s in the cost—such as the rise in the prim of iron.
This, Mr. Galpin said, was quite erroneous, as he bad
himself taken great pains to ascertain the rine of
iron ilurini, the period alluded to by Mr. W lute-
bead, and instead of the article having increased in
price it hail actually decreased, awl had been falling
in the market front that tune to the present. He
then c. ted upon the extra work required to be
done, confessedly through the insufficiency of the
work already laid down—such as the relaying of the
sewer which had cost them £-1410. Now, said Mr.
Galpin, are we satisfied that we have the proper and
efficient works which we were led hi expect we should
have? Is there any member of the Board here pre-
sent who will undertake to say that these public
works are proper and efficient? Where are Mr.
W hitehead's supisorters, who have fund some-
thing to say for him—some defvoce to urge on his
behalf, under all eire Lances? W here are they now?
It is a well-known and incontrovertible fact that
these works are in an incomplete and inefficient
state ; we are called upon to pay a Wm of money,
and who among you can tell the ratepayers that they
now enjoy a proper and efficient system of drainage
in return for all the money that has been expended ?
Looking at the °plutons which had been given as to
the legal liability of the Board to Mr. Whitehead, he
could not resist the payment of his claim; but he
could not help saying, that if they had been engaged
with a gentleman who was anxious to awry out the
works in a way satisfactory to all concerned, anti had
been disposed to meet the Board in the same spirit
in which the Board hail been 1111110U5 to meet Mr.
Whitehead. he was sure that the state of things would
be very different to what they were now, ant every-
thing would have u, no touch more smoothly and
much more satisfactorily to the ratepuyers and the
Board.
Mr. Ifisnor thought that in coming to a concha.
sion to pay Mr. Whitehead's claim, they ought to
consider the merits of the case ; and he complained
of the progressive increase in the expenditure which
would now requires rate of 2s. in the pound, in.
stead of a rate of Is. in accordance with the original
estimate.
The motion that Mr. Whitehead be paid having
wised unanimously, a question arose as to whether
Mr. Whitehead should be asked to make the drain-
age (ruin Mr. Monday's premises into the main sewer
efleclual—Mr. WhiteheA having offered, through

his solicitors, to do this in a complete and perfect
manner, or to receive no payment for the sork in j
question. Great diversity of opinion prevailed as to
shatosiurse the Board should take with reference to
this sff...r. Sonic members were for paying the I
engineer in full of all demands, and declining any
further interference on his part with any portion of
these public works; while others thought it desirable
that Mr. Whitehead should be asked to drain these
private premises, which the Surveyor to the Board
had reported was impracticable, (owing to the level
of the sewer), and thus make the engineer prove the
defectiveness of his own plans. At this stage of the
conversation twine obvious private feelings for and
against Mr. Whitehead found expression on the part
of several members, and something like personal
charges and recriminations were on the point of
being exchanged, when the necessity for calmness
and good temper was presented to their minds, and
it was ultimately determined, on the motion of Mr.
Galpin seconded by Mr. Eusor, that Mr. White.
head's offer of adjusting the drainage of Mr. Mondey's
premises be accepted, and that an intimation be
made to him to that effect by the Town Clerk on
remitting the amount of the engineer's claim against
the Board.
The Board then adjourned.