The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-08 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES.

THE GREAT CENTRAL GAS CONSUMERS• COM-
PANY. .

Yesterday this question, that has for some time
formed a topic of considerable interest among the citizens of
London, was opened before the committee i.f the House of
Commons to whom the Great Central Gas Consumers' Bill,
" for bitter supplying with gas the City of London and the
liberties thereof, and places adjimetit," Is referred, consisting
of Mr. Cardwell, the chairmae, Mr Glyone Bade Welby,
Mr. James Marshall, Mr. Pi kington, and Mr. Melville
Portal. The members added to the committee, as basin,
constituently an interest In thequestion, are—Mr.Thonspeon,
Tower Hamlets; Lord Dudley Btuert. Mart lebone; Sr W.
Molesworth, Southwark; and Sir James Duke, London, of
whom the latter only was pees nt.
The proceedings wire cmemeneed by calling over the
titles of the petitions against the bill, amongst upwards of
some twenty of which there ware petitions from the Char-
tered Gas Light Company, the Coy of London Gas Light
Compaq, the Comm reial Gas Company, the British Gas
Light Company, the Imperial Got Company, the Inde-
pendent Gas Light and Coke Company, and from various
parishes and ratepayers.
Counsel for the promoters of the measure were Mr.
Serjesnt Wrentham, Q.C., Mr. Hill, Q.C., Mr. Taylor, and
Mr. Wild; for the opponents ..f it, the Cry of London and
the London Chaster, d Gas Company, Mr. Talbot, Q C.,
Mr. Hope, Q.C., Mr. IL Warren, Mr. Conic, and Mr.
Burke.
Mr. Serjeant Wranglasin,Q.C., in opening the proceedings,
said that the object of the promoters was to establish their,
gas works at Bow Common, and to limit the district they
proposed to light to the City of L indun, and to the imme
diets district through which their mains passed. The light-
ing of the intermediate districts arose out of the cireunt.
shines of the promoters, upon econemical grounds, deter
mining on having their works at a distance from the city,
where not only a site could be obtained at a much cheaper
rate, but where the establishment of gas works was far has
objectionable than within the range of the city, and it would
h.ve been absurd to hive curl, d the mains all the way into
the city without supplying, as indeed was urged upon them,
the inhabitants along the route that they reed. The
premed measure had originated in the general, and almost
unanimous feeling within the City of London, that a new
gas company was indispensably necessary to secure for the
citizens an ample supply of good and cheap gas. The
learned gentleman proceeded to giro a brie f h story of the
various gas coo panics started in L indon, and pointed
out some of their snowshoe and detects, and concluded by
calling
Mr. Charles POITII3II, M.P , who was tiring evidence in
farm r ot the ineuere, when th. Speak 4, at 4 o'clock, was
announced to he at prayers, and the committee adjourned
to this day at 12 o'clock.

RAILWAY CoMMIITES,—SoUTu IVALES.--Yeater-
day the committee paused the preamble of this com-
pany's bill for securing advantages en the re hue of
forfeited or unissued shares, but postponed that decision
on that part of the bill which seeks the construction of new
works.

METROPOLITAN SEWAGE MANURE CA
Yesterday the half.yearly general meeting of this company
was held at Willis's-rooms, Ss. James'. ; Mr. H. P. Full. r
in the choir. The npert stated that since the last meeting
the directors had been unable to mike much progress. a.
they could do nothing without the sanction of the metropo-
litan commissioners of sewers, and this body, being uncer-
tain as t 4 their own plans, had been caul .us in giving their
consent to those of the company. They had, however, sanc-
tioned the construction of work., whereby the company
would receive the contents of the principal sewers of West-
minster at a tiifiing cost comps ed with the amount of the
original estimate. Of the arream of calls reported at the last
meeting the directors had recovered upwards of 1,30)1. with-
out relenting to legal proceedings, and by payments made by
them in advance of calls, and by careful financial management
the actual cash balance exceeded in sa.ount the liablities of
the company. The claim of Mr. Mar:in against the com-
pany fur dirbursiments made in pramoring its farenedion had
been satisfactorily settled. The engineer's report stated
that the works were in a satisfactory stem, and that by the
recent concession of the Commisiii men of Sswers a consider-
able increase of sewage water was ciinveyed into the well.
lie had ascertained by careful admeasurement that if per-
mission could he obtained to draw off the contents of the
Ranelaglt and King's Scholan Pond Sewers, the company
would be enabled to extend their main to Hounslow, and to

supply the extensive district in Its vicinity. Owing to this
concesiiin of the commissioners, t`.e exp hoe of the necessary
works would not exceed 2,0001, instead of 20,5001.,
as originally estimated. From the thiancial statement
it appeared that the total amount received from
calls since the formvion of the company was 38,4201.,
the expenditure was 35,3271. ; the pees. nt liabilities of the
company amounted to 2.9291., and the balance in hand to
1741. The chairman having moved the adoption of the
report, Mr. Lundie moved as an amendment that a commit- ,
tee of iimmtigation b.:appointed to inquire into the state of
the company's affairs. He contended that the statement of
account, was most unsatisfactory, and that nothing could he
shown for the large sums which had been expended. The
law expenses, amounting to upwards of 11,0001 , were *or •
mous in proportion to the capital rsistd. He also
charged*, directors with building sewers and other works
which ought to have been constructed by the Sewers' Com
mission, and with paying en enormous price for a piece of
waste land at Fulham. Mr. W. T. Kine, one of the di
rectors, defended the conduct of the b .ard, and a long dis
alnico, entity of • personal characser, ensued. The
amendment was, however, lost by a large msjority, the di-
revers voting against it, and producing 337 proxies. The
report having been adopted, the meeting separated.
SOUTHWARK BRIDGE COMPANY.—The ordinary
meeting of the shareholders of this commmy was hell yes-
terday at the Il•idgn House, Queen-street-place, Thames-
street. Mr. Joshua Walker presided. The secretary read
the report, which stated that the directira had very little to
communicate from the fact that they were in tre.ty with the
corporation of the city of London, for the purehue of the
bridge, but as nothing definite Lad at present been settled
they f abore from entering into any details. The statement
of accounts having been adopted, some routine business was
transacted, and the meeting broke up.

LIMITATION OF HOURS OF LAIJOUR IN MINES.-A
public meeting of the miners of the Potterics and neigh-
bourhood, was held lately at Safford, for i romoting a peti-
tion to parliament, praying for the restriction of the hours of
labour in mines. Mr. Daniels, an agent of the Miners' Ar-
mors-ion, was celled to preside. The chairman, in stating
the ibject of the meeting, remarked that as the legislature
had passed a law restrict log the hours of labour above ground
to ten hours per day, it was most consistent with justice to
ask that the poor miners who worked in the bowels of the
earth should have their day rerrictid to tidal hours. The
miners had grievances peculiarly their own, and they were
met in a legal and eonstitutioeal way to discuss them. Several
resolutions were then passed fur promoting a petition to par-
liament for an eight hours bill. 0.111 of the speakers was G.
Evans, a collier, who in arguing for the legality of the
meeting, referred to the events in the Potteries in 1842, re
marking that alter that time he hod passed two years in one
of her Majesty's colleges," for attending a meeting like
the present, which was the only one he had taken part in for
pretty near eight years. Mr. Hobert' " the Miners' Atter
ney-General, ' was present, and spek's at some length in
seconding a motion in favour of a more extended system of
union among the miners of North Staffordshire. In allud-
ing to the propriety of the legislature stepping in to abridge
the miners' hours of labour, Mr. Roberts asked whether
eight hours per day was not in justice sufficient for a
man to be working hard in a mine, excluded from the
light of the sun, breathing (particularly in badly ventilated
mines) a polluted atmosphere, and every moment in peril of
coining to an untimely end ? The importance of well Yen
tilatiag, cleaning, and propping the mime, could not be too
strongly uved upon the attention of employers. He had
commenced to practise in the neighbourhood, and trusted
that he should effect the same amount of good for the miners
of North Staffordshire which he had accomplished for their
brethren in the coal districts of Northumberland, Durham,
and other places. His mission amongst them was to teach
employers (such as did not know i') their duty, and to assist
the men in redressing their grievances. The speaker strongly
urged upon the meeting the nee salty of forming themselves
into a stronger bond of union, contending that by it they
would obtain and secure those advantages which they could
not gain without. Thanks being voted to the chairman, the
meeting broke up.
VERDICT OF MANSLAUGIITER AGAINST A RELIEV-
ING Omens —At an impost which was brought to a con-
clusion on Saturday, at Manchester, a relittving officer named
Joseph Wheeler, is implicated by the jury. in a charge of
manslaughter for neglecting to relieve a
_woman named
Hannan. Thomas Hannan, the husband of the deceased
. .

--
woman, stated, that when be applied to Mr. Wheeler for re-
lief, or a doctor for his sick wife, he was encountered by a
threat of being at once removed to Ireland with his family,
at which he was iso ;much dismayed that lhe did not renew
the application, and his wife, allsr limbering for some days,
died. &vend witnesses deposed that the deceased
woman and her family were id a most abject
state of poverty, and the jury brought in a verdict of
"Manslaughter against Joseph Wneeler, for wilfully
neglectieg and omitting to relieve deceased." The in-
quest was adjourned to the White Lion Ina, tient Anent'.
street, Manchester, at 9 o'clock on &verde', the 4th day of
May inst., to sign the inquisition. When the jury ma'am-
bled, Mr. Wheeler &nestled to give an ezplanation of his
' conduct. He denied the statement of Hansen, that he had
threatened to send them to Irelai.d, and asuirted that, on
the contrary, he had desired him to come with his family to
the workhouse and they should be admi•ted. lie procer.d
the nat. wog orders for their a Imisdun the neat day, but
they ddl not pro-sent themselves, end he had thought no
more et the cue until told the. a v. ',list of manslaughter
had been ,ivon at.inat him. Notwithet .nding this state-
ment, the jury .;. tiered their de! mita .n of adhtring to
the verdict deltr.rod, and the iuquisioion
hIGNED BY THE L 0111) LIY.UTKNANT
or FLIWINdIItE. —Sir Edward d.muti Walker, fiat., to
be Deputy-Lieutenant.

it he ervrefso.