The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-17 00:00:00

REPORT

Of the Law Clerk upon the several Bill's referred to the
consideration of the ?ai•liantentary donimitteo,
Birkenhead :District Gas and Water Works.

"A Bill to re-constitute the Birkertheed aiid Claughton Gas
and Wager Company uAder the name of the ' Birkenhead
Distric: Gas and Wager Company ;' to enlarge and extend
their powers : to authorise them to raise further monies, and
for other purposes " Sec- 4 entirely repeals the present
Birkenhead Gas and Water Act, 4 and 5 Vie. dap. 62, and
constitutes a new company for the supply of gas and water
within the limits named in the bill, under the nets of " The
Birkenhead District Gas and Water CoMpany." The limits
for the supply both of gas and water are nearly the same as
those for the simply of gas under the vresent act. The town-
ships of Bromborough, Great Neaten, Little Neston, and
and Thornton Hough are omitted from the Bill, and the
townships of Prenton and Noctorum are aided. By the
present act the powers of the cutripany for the supply of water
are limited to the township of Birkenhead. As regahls the
supply of gm, the bill empowers the bompahy to continue,
maintain. and ektenit, of alter and discontinue, the present
works, and also to construct additional works upon a piece
cif land leased by the Corp ration of Liverpool to
Mr. William Jackson on the south side of Beaufort road. As
the present act is to be altogether repealed, it will be necessary
to provide for the supervision of the commissioners in the
breaking up of streets for laying pipes, and for securing the
proper reinstatement of streets, and also for ensttring a proper
and safficient supply of gas and water, to all parties requiring
it, and at fair and reasonible rates, The company should also
be required, by a clause in the bill, to supply gas for lighting
the public lanips in Birkenhead and Claughton, upon the same
terms as the public lamps are now lighted in Liverpool. The
bill empowers the company to lay a ma'n pipe for the convey-
ance of gas across Wallasey Pool, in a lino with, or under, the
bridge ; it will be for consideration how fa that will be preju-
dicial to the use of the Pool for shipping. The bill gives a
compulsory power to purchase the bed of Wallasey Pool for
laying down the main pipe, but provides that the company shall
not purchase or take any other lend Mr the purpose of the gas
works, except by agreement. As regards the supply of water,
the project appears to be the construction of two pumping
stations, one in the township of Bidston, the other in the
township of Prenton, to supply four service reservoirs, one on
Bidston Hill, two on Osten Hill, and one on Benton Hill.
As before ebserved, the power of the present company to
supply water is limited to Birkenhead, the bill makes the
limits for the supply of gas and water the same, and it is
intended to lay water pipes across the bed of Wallasey Pool.
The bill gives ten years for the completion of the works. As
the present supply is inadequate for the requirements of
Birkenhead alone, the company should be restrained from
supplying any other until Birkenhead and Claughton are fully
supplied and the works completed, and until a fair price is
agreed upon for the supply of Birkenhead and-Claughton.
The bill provides a scale of charges for -the use of water for
domestic purposes at the same rate as the present act up to a
rent of £lOO per annum, and then at the rate of £5 per cent.
on the rent. It also provides an extra charge for each bath
and water closet. Sec. 49 defines the meaning of the expression
" domestic purposes." Sec. 50 empowers the company to
supply ships at the rate of is for 100 gallons, 6d for every
additional 100 or part of 100 gallons. There are very
arbitary clauses for the inspection of meters, recovering of rates,
and otherwise intended for the, advantage of the company,
which require revision. The whole bill calls for the careful
attention of the commissioners and ratepayers. A principal
object of the bill appease to be a financial scheme
for the nominal increase of the capital for the benefit
of the shareholders, but without the company laying out, or
having the corresponding capital to lay out upon works,
or otherwise, for the benefit of the inhabitants and consumers..
The preamble of the bill states the present capital to consist of
2,660 £5O shares fully paid up, making £133,000. The
2,660 shares are made up of 2,000 £5O original shares and
660.£50 shares, issued in payment for £33,000 subsequently
borrowed. Under the present act, the cempany are limited to
a profit of £lO per cent, but when the prtfi s exceed that
amount the company may accumulate the surplus to form a
contingent fund not exceeding £5,000, and that fund may be
resorted to for the purpose of making up any deficiency in
profits that may occur in any year. The preamble of the bill
states that the company have received £53,240 less than they
are entitled to. The bill declares the capital of the company
shall be £500,0000, made up as follows : every £5O share is
converted into a £lOO share, considered as fully paid up The
bill then capitalises the so called deficiency of £53,200, by
creating 2,660 deferred shares of £2O each, to be considered
as fully paid up, but not to be entitled to interest until five
years after the commencement of the act, and payment of £5
per cent upon all sh tree which shall have been created
and sold before the s lid term of five years shall have
elapsed. The rerna'nder of the £500,000 is to be raised
by the creation of new shares of £lOO each. The rate of
dividend is then fixed at £5 per cent. on the nominal capital
of £500,000. The whole tenor of the bill renders it essential
for the protection of the inhabitants of Birkenhead and
Claughton, (the really paying district) that a fair and reason.
able price to be paid for gas and water in that district should
be determined upon, and fixed by the bill itself, and that the
company should furnish full accounts of she present actual
outlay of capital, including all details requisite to show
whether the nominal capital of £133,000 has been bona fide
expended on these works.

Mr. Bailiff suggested that if any discussion was to take
place on the subjects before them, it should be on each
bill separate, and so take into consideration one bill at a
time.

The Chairman fully concurred in the suggestion.
Mr. Baylis said there was one clause in the bill to which
he would offer a few remarks, and that was as to the supply
of water. (Hear, hear.) e conceived that there should
be a clause in the bill compelling the supply to he constant,.
Unless such was the case, it would be impossible that the
drainage of the town could be effectually carried out. lie
argued that considerable expense would have, of necessity,
to be incurred in making cisterns in dwelling bosses, if the
supply of water was not constant. By the bill, an expense
of 60 per cent. would be incurred to householders, while the
water company could do it at 5 per cent. With reference
to the gas question, he would only say that he hoped steps
would be taken to have a good supply of gas, and that it
should be of a pure quality, as a very great amount of
injury would be done to property, by destroying the
decorations, &c.

Mr. Bailiff also thought it would be desirable to have a
conetant supply of water; but stated that it was impossible
that it mid be so, and not to have cisterns in houses for
keeping it—therefore there was not much saving. With
regard to gas, although he (as a decorato►) had no right to
say anything as to impure gas injuring decorations, still he
thought the zas should be as pure as it could be made.
The Law Clerk said there was a clause in the bill that
each person should have a proper supply at a fair price.
After vine further discussion on the various details of
the clauses in the bill, a petition, grounded on the report
just read, was unanimously adopted and signed, prior to
being presented to parliament.

TILE BIRKENHEAD DOCK BILL 3.

The Chairman said the next subject they would have to
consider would be the Town Clerk's reports on the follow-
ing bills
A Bill for carrying into effect certain provisions of the
Birkenhead Docks Act, 1855, in relation to the c fns'ruction
and completion of the Birkenhead D cks, for authorising
alterations therein and new works, and for other purposes."
" A Bill for carrying into effect certain provisions of the
Birkenhead Docks Act, 1855, relating to the management
of the Birkenhead Docks, and for other purposes."
"A Bill to authorise the Birkenhead Improvement
Commissioners and Local Board of Health of Wallasey to
appoint memters on the Liverpool Docks Committee, and
to make better provision for the management of the Bir-
kenhead Docks."

The Town Clcrk then read the following
REPORTS.
Extension of Time, Management of Docks, e.
" A Bill for carrying into effect certain previsions of the
Birkenhead Docks Act, 1855, relating to the manage-
ment of the Birkenhead Docks, and for other pur-
poses "
By the Birkenhead Docks Act, 1855, the undertakings
of the Birkenhead Dock Trustees, and the Birkenhead
Dock Company, were vested in the Liverpool Corpora-
tion, and by the same act it was enacted that such parts
of the said undertakings as were or might thereafter be
completed, should, as and when the same were
adapted to the accommodation of shipping, be ma•
naged by the Liverpool Dock Committee, and that until
Parliament should othewise provide, all powers
and provisions of the Birkenhead Dock Acts with
respect to the management of the said undertaking,
and with respect to the levying of tolls and dues, &c.,
shouuld be exeiseable by the said committee. The object