The Express.
London, England, 1865-04-19 00:00:00

THE SEWAGE OP TOWNS.

The following is the third report of the Sewage
Cosuuissioa, width has just ben issued :
"ro TBt WINS commissioning or Bra MAJZSTfB
" THIA8.1:11a. . . .

" May it please your lordships:-We, the undersigned,
whom her Majesty's commission, bearing date sth Jan.,
1837, appointed to ' inquire into the beet mode of distri-
buting the sewage of tows', and applying it to beneficial
and profitable uses,' have now spin, according to our
instructions, the honour of reporting to your lordships our
further progress in the matter committed to us foe inquiry.
" Sine, the date of our last report (August, 1861) we
through • committee of our number. epeeist* of Mr. Lewes
and Professor Way, continued at Rugby the experiments
which were undertaken In 1861 ma the application of sewage
to land. The report of that committee, which we append,
contains the restate for the three years 1862-4. Your
lorded's. will observe that these experimeste have not been
confined to the application of sewage in different quantities
to land, but have extended to the consumption, by utile,
of the pr3does so obtained, and to the productios of meat
and milk, and have been accompanied by • careful record
of the quantities and market value of the products, sod by
numerous analyses of the sewage before and after
irrigation, as also of the gram and of the milk.
It appears to us that these experiments have solved many
of the difficulties which have hitherto attached to the ques-
tion of the agricultural application of sewage and that they
leave no reasonable doubt of the practicability_ and @Ann.
Cage of so employing the sewage of towns. We have also
continued to give our best attention to all kindred expari-
mute end inquiries which have been going on elsewhere.
As the results of our labours, extending over eight years,
we have confidence in submitting to your lordships the fol-
lowing conclusions :-1. The right way to dispose of town
sewage is to apply it continuously to land, and it is only by
such application that the pollution of rivers can be avoid.
2. The financial results of • continuous application of
sewage to land differ under different local eircnnisteoces ;
first, because is some places irrigation can be effected by
gravity, while in other places more or lees pumping met be
employed ; secondly, because heavy soils (which in given
localities may alone be available for the purpose) are less
fit than light soils for cootinuons irrigation by sewage. 3.
Where local edrannistances are favourable, and undue
expenditure is avoided, towns may derive profit, more or
less considerable, from applying their sewage
tam Under opposite circumstances, there may not be a
balance of profit ; but even in such oases • rate in aid,
required to oover any loss, needs not be of • large amount.
Finally, on the basis of the above conclusions, we further
beg leave to express to your lordships that, in our kid&
meet, the following two principles are established for
legislative application :—First, that, wherever riven are pol-
luted by a discharge of town sewage into them, the towns
may reseonably be required to desist from causing that pub-
lic nuisance. Second, that where town populations are in-
jured or endangered in health by • fetishes of ems=
matter among them, the towns may reasonably he
to provide • system of sewers for its removal. And
the law, as it stands, be found insufficient to enable towns
to take land for sewage application, it would, in our opinion,
be stuffiest that the legislature should give them powers
for that purpose,
(Signed) Earn_ J. B. Lures.
Roma RAmnrsoar. Jon Bwoa.
J. Taomis WAY.
" 8, Richmond-terrace, Whitehall, March, 1865."