The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-09-12 00:00:00

THE HEALTH COMMITTEE.

The usual weekly meeting of this committee was held
yesterday, at the Town Hall. Mt. Alderman Langsdale
presided. The other commissioners present, were—
Messrs. Dover, M‘Guffie, Beckwith, Shieli Johnson, Hal—
head, Haydock, Robinson, Gladstone, and Crosthwaite.
The Clerk read the minutes of the last meeting; which
were confirmed.

TUE HEALTH OF THE TOWN

The MediCal ()facer of Health reported that the mor-
tality of the borough still continued under the average of
former years. 216 deaths Were in the borough for the
week ending Saturday, being 88 toter than the average
for the same week for the last eight years. *arctic dis-
ease caused 87, of these diarrhoea, &c., caused 56; feter,
8; smallpox, 2; scarlet fever, 15; hooping-cough, 8;
disease of the lungs, including consumption, 36 ; convul-
sions, 12; brain, 19; apoplexy, 5; disease of the liver,
5; dropsy, 1; of the spine, 1 ; teething, 3, and delirum
tremens, 1.

The Borough Engineer, Building Surveyor, and Inspac-
ter of Nuisances, reported various particulars of the
operations in their several departments during the week,
from which it appeared that 160 dilapidated privies and
ashpits were altered and repaired ;" 1,067 cesspools had
been.discharged ; 85 nuisances complained of by inhabi-
tants had been inspected, and Means taken to remedy
them; 499 houses in the unhealthiest districts, containing
1,461 apartments and 136 cellars, had been put under
examination, with the view of improving their sanitary
condition, and 271 lodging-houses had also been examined
and reported upon.

--KIPRDAtt
Mr. TUnsu... he St. Mary's kirkdate Cemetery,
attended before the committee as a deputation from the

ST, MARY,

ale, of tt

proprietors of the above cemetery, to request that the

1r the burial of the dead should be extended for a short
He applied more partletilarl7 on behalf of the
id he thought that he had good gr
o. In the first place, they had reason to bel

time.
poor, a

nds for doing

there had been sortie tnistahe made with regard to the
Liverpool cemetery and theirs; They were both named
St. Mary—the one was St. Mary's, .iiiqerpoo! and the
other St. Mary's, Kirkdale. There was rrd doubt but
that St. Mary's, Liverpool, was a most notorious nuisance.
They thought a mistalo had been made between the two.
They had nothing whatever to do with the parish cemetery.
At the present time there was six-sevenths of the ground
of St. Mary's, Kirkdale, unoccupied, and therefore could
allow interments to be still made. He then went on to
say that if the tinie was not extended, the fees would
have to be increased. He was there more to speak for the
poor than for any other persons ; and he could assure the
committee that it would grieve them very- much did they
witness the sights that he did in the many applications
that were made by the poor to have "the bodies interred
there. For his part he would do what he could to assist
in suppressing nuisances—but this cemetery was no
nuisance. They had no objection to have an inspector to
go: to every house within the locality, and ascertain
whether such was the fact or not. He concluded, by
asking the corrifttittee to extend the period of closing the
ground until the end of the year, or until such time as the
Burial Board had provided a suitable plot of ground for
the interment of the poor.
The Chairman said they were a body acting under
others. He agreed that the request was most reasonable.
Mr. Johnson concurred in the same opinion.

Mr. Halhead suggested that the opinion of the Town-
clerk should be talon on the matter, and confer With the
applidant as to the result. _ _

The Clerk explained that the cemetery had been closed
by an Order in Council, which was the same as an act of
parliament.

The. Chairman: Meg the order say St. Mary's, Kirk-
dale ?

The,Clerk: No; only St. Mary's.
The Chairman: Then it may mean Si. IVary's in Kirk-
dale, or Bt. Mary's in Hope-street.
The Clerk : You are asked to violate an act of pailta-
ment.

Some further conversation ensued on the subject, which
resulted in the matter being referred to the Town-clerk,
for the purpose of aseertaining whether or not the coin-
mittee had any power of interfering in the matter.

A GREAT NUJSARt

Mr. Robertson Gladstone requested to know at what
hours the officers of the Health Committee commenced
and terminated their labonrs each day, for, on Tuesday
evening last, at about half-past. eight o'clock, he was
walking through Whitechapel and Stanley-§fteet, when
he experienced such a noxious smell, as he had never
before experienced. It was evident the smell from the
melting of fat, in a partial state of decay. There could
be no doubt from whence the smell came, as there were a
great number of tallow works in the locality—the stench
from which was Most horrible. In such places, It could
not be surprising that the pOot turned out, of their
dwellings and sought shelter ill pnblithouses, and took
intoxicating liquors. At the time he passed, when men
were going to their homes, the stench
horrit

'as Of a most

ble description, the atmosphere was very dense, atld
the smell could not get up ; and if the ground had been
strewed with dead carcases,r4it could riot haVe smelt
worse than it did, and must bo very injurious to the
healths of the persons.who resided in the locality. llf the
committee had sanitary offic'ers, these officers must be on
the watch. Such a nuisance, in a locality like that, where
a great nUmber of poor people resided, was Insufferable,
and must be attended to.

The Clerk said the law could not interfere with the
parties, unless the medical officer was, present, and certi-
fied that the nuisance was injurious to health.
Mr. Beckwith supposed that the officers considered'
that when they left the office, at five o'clock in the after-
noon, their business was done.

The Clerk replied that they were frequently up and
down at a much later hour, and had on more than one

occasion discovered nuisances

Mr. Sheil suggested that the matter should be referred
to the watch committee, with a requesfr that the police
officers on duty should, when they discover such abom-
inable nuisances, take steps to give the medical officer of
health an intimation of it, that he might have the oppor-
tunity of inspecting it at once.
Mr. Hodgson did not believe that that would be of any
service, for whenever a policeman was wanted, he was
never to be found.

Mr. Gladstone thought that it was the duty of the
police to make such a report.
Mr. Johnson : But the police are not permitted to leave
their beats while on duty.
Mr. Halhead : They could do the same in cases of
nuisance as they do now in cases of fire.
Mr. Hodgson: They will never do it; they would
rather spend their time in talking to women.
tsThe suggestion of Mr. Shiel was adopted, and the sub-
ject was referred to the watch committee.

SELLING FUNGI IN ST. JJHN'S MARKET.
Mr. Gladstone said, there was one other subject to
which he wished to call the attention of the committee,
and was one of great importance. Mushrooms were sold
in St. John's market, but in some cases a practice pre-
vailed of selling, instead of mushrooms, a fungus that
grew out of the roots of trees, which, if it was not
poisonous, was clearly unfit for human food. When he
was told of it, he mentioned the fact to Mr. Luya, who
at once told him that he had no power to interfere, as,
by. the act of parliament, his powers were restricted to
the inspection of meats, and mushrooms did not come
under that head. If such was the case, it rendered the
law a curse instead of a blessing. What he requested to
know was, had the committee any power of interfering to
prevent the sale of fungi instead of mushrooms ?
The Clerk said the committee had the power under the
nuisance removal act, which mentioned vegetables—and
that was a vegetable.

Mr. Gladstone then moved, that the officer of the
market be directed to prevent such a procedure iu future.
This motion was adopted.
ST. JOHN'S MARKET AGAIN.
Mr. Beckwith said he had also a complaint to make
about the business of that market. After the officers of
the weights and measures left the office, at between four
and five o'clock in the afternoon, all kinds of robberies
were carried on up to the time it closed, and this arose
from the fact that the officers on duty had not the power
to interfere.

After some conversation, the subject was referred to
the market committee, for them to take the initiative in
remedying the complaint.

THE STREET LAMPS.

"A letter wass read from Mr. John Lea, requesting that
he may be allolied the privilege of attaching public
directory banners to the public lamps of the borough.
Mr. Lea stated in his letter that he, in conjunction' with
Mr. John Bingham, were willing to become the lessees for
a period of years, for which they were willing to pay
£l,OOO per annum in advance.

Mr. Italhead explained that the subject had before been
under consideration, and the Guardian Society had
objected to it on several grounds.
The subject, after a few brief remarks, was referred to
the watch and lighting committee.
CLOSING ST. JOHN'S CHURCHYARD.

A memorial was then read from the barristers attending
the Northern Circuit at St. George's Hall, praying that
the St. JAn's churchyard might be immediately closed.
Mr. Hodgson wished to know what steps could be taken
in the matter ?

The Clerk replied that an Order in Council had said
that it would be closed on a future day. The only course
that could be adopted would be for the committee to
send a memorial to the Burial Board in London, request-
ing that no more interments should take place.
' On the motion of Mr. Sheil, seconded by Mr. Gladstone,
it was unanimously resolved that that course should be
adopted.