The Express.
London, England, 1849-11-24 00:00:00

IdETROPOLITAN COMMISSION OF SEWERS.

A Court of Sewers was held yes'erday, at No. 1,
Oreek-street, hobo, Viscount EfIkINGTON in the *air.
Present : sir J. Burgoyne' Sir Henry De la Beebe, Captain
Vetch, Captain Dawson, Mr. Robert Stephenson, M.P. ;
Captain Harries, Mr. Hardwick, Mr. Halm', and tar.
Lewes.
The routine business of the dsy baying been disposed of,
the wart proceeded to consider the question as to the ap-
pointment eta chief engineer, and the following resolutions
IWO peered upon the =Meat :
" That a principai engineer, of lath qualifications, is re-
quired, compe'eat to devise and superintend the works*
the groatviesien, and to have entire control over the survey-
ors and their operations."
"That the sum of ,3001. per annum will be a proper
salary far such alas, exclusive of a charge for travelling,
Ice which 2001. rer annum will be a proper allowance."
" That the court make a bye law in the following teems,
do is so say :—' la =names of the powers ire
Iletropolitea Commissioners of Sewers by the throats** thk
behalf, le is beesky ordained that there shall be an Ohms(
the oommieden, mite Mall be and be called the =peer to the
bletropolitaa Commissioner of Rowers, aid than sash cam
shall be paid • athry at the rate of 1,3001.
further allowance in respect of travelling expeasm at the Me
of 2001. per annum, which salary and allowance esepedieely
shall to paid by even quarterly payments, sad ia ass of the
death, resignation, or removal of such ellisse lineassea say
of the quarterly days of payment there Mal he paid to
his executors, and admin*rators • 'stash's ped= of the
said salary and allowance up to the time of his death, resig-
nation, or removal.' "
" That the foregoing bye law be submitted for oonfltroallen
to • Special Court of blowers, to be holden at the • :pinhole
el • month at least from the present court, at 12 o'clock*
MS, and that public notice of such bye law and of the
intention to submit the sea for COGATISAtiOII be given
asearding to the statute in such case made wad provided."
That from and after the wanton* of the :0:3
bye kw by a special court, Mr. Frank Foster be
emir= to the commission at a salary of 1,6001.,
sparse for travelling within the limits of the juriadiciatiala
IM easel."
Ilk JOHN BURGOYNE said it was very desirable that •
OWN of mit importance as the appointment of a eked
segkeer should be brought forward k epee court, and ileb►
mead is public. In order to justify IM appintammt speed
yea by the commission, it would _
be asess sap a kw
' wards respect* the salary and the ellEeM el the
Individual who had been selected for the aim in quesdoe.
With a view to do this correctly, sad to enable the court as
judge of the srepekty of the Nun whisk W bass adopted,
weeld be- tidko foe emit
k what ma-
ser the engineering
buds= was ermandad under the old
esemohnica. A great number of enemas were appointed
to earry on the works is the different distaisb, and they had
all am= independently of each other. They had looked
apse the court as the directing =glum, and it wee needless
to say how isessapetsat the Ward were to perform the
duties imperil up= Am by seek a state of things. It was
net from say weal of qtaileation that they were incompe-
tent, ben on asesset °like peculiarity of their constitution;
the fa* Wog that they were an unpaid board--all of them
=gaged la ether affairs, and occasionally meeting and
adsptieg peiaciples of a general nature, to be acted upon
by the elan of the institution. It was quite impossible
that a court constituted in this way mad be in a position
be do inerythiag, and the consequence was that the gentle-
men who discharged the duties of engineers and surveyors
were all, as he had stated, acting_ independently of each other,
whilst the commisaiosen had no means of ascertaining how
he their proceedings were correct, or how far they
might be improved. The evils attending such • system
were mseifesdy without end. He proposed that a bye-law
should be pas. ed authorising the csnanissioners to appoint'
Kr. For er as chief engineer.
Mr. STEPHENSON said it must be apparent to all that
the appointment of • chief engineer was essential to the in-
terests* the public and the interests of the commissioners.
T!app were most anxious to discharge their duties properly,
=lit was quite clear that success could not be obtained
mikes they established • channel from which re-
upeasibnity might flow. The commissioners now pro-
posed to entrust those duties to another which they
were formerly obliged to perform themselves. Wee it at all
likely that the board should occupy themselves in disclosing
the minutia of their operations when they ought to be di-
ntheir attention great to one and ruling principle ?
t that he incurred a greet responsibility in pro-
posing Mr. Faster for this *lice, but be had so much confi-
dence in his qualifications that he did not shrink from
that naponeibility.
Sir HENRY DB LA BECHE said that as Mr. !linden
was not present on this occasion, he was called upon Way •
few words in reference to the important subject under their
ceesideration. The great object to be attained by public
bodies, such as the Consmiedeases of Sewers, was
elbleasy ia its taken. In hie mild= they could not have
ahem a ma betas MIA he the Ass than Mr. Foster,
sod. he meld theadwe give kisuaqualified vote foe the ap-
paling= of that gratimens.
lb. HAWES sigaged his approval of the appointment,
sad slated that he kerma It weeld ultimately turn out to
he as mamba sm.
Kr. HAHHWICK mimed a similar conviction, stating
that it was abselaseip ammeary that the sews= of London
should be pima under ON great head ; and however huge
the salary
the dna Irma appear to be, the public would
we by presentap
The CH naiad* the court that the appoint-
ment of Kr. Potter to the silos was nasaimeasly agreed to
whip every member of * esamissise wee peassat. From
the bei.WIS Me mamMehasem had been tesseimees as to
the lemmas= of appekdag a Mid se#lseer, =I the esly
mama Toby "
ha had eid bssa ada" maalliseed was, thee
keg wadi m bets keedeted which
My. Wesiink mad have heed Ilk powers to
=ewer. He thaegid, mass all s, that
tee reejsedkabsesse Me mast deserved*, sumo it bad
from sines member *the now seenalision.
Sir HENRY every_ DE LA BECHB begged to be fakes*
whether the court had masfved any reply to their request
that the City commieheme iiisaid sem them to seaside,
plans which MI ban mat be Me the drainage of tha
sw
tripoli' t He was asks Is sessalsia this fast, as it WAS
mat Important rat thins who bed forwarded the. plans
devoid have them eseeikeed at the earliest opportunity.
Mr. WOOLIITOII sad he bad set yet red any reply
epee re sailet&—The court theasilltersed.