Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-03 00:00:00

WATER COMMITTEE.

Mr. Hodson presided at the usual weekly meeting of
the Water Committee, yesterday ; and the other members
present were *ssrs. 'Vernon, Crellin, Beloe, Estill,
Earle, Rae, Farnworth, Charles Turner, Wagstaff,
Woodruff, Jeffery, and Bennett.
The sub-committee—retommended- that two collectors
for the water rates should be advertised for.

Mr. WOODRUFF suggested that one set of collectors
might collect both the sanitary and water rates.
Er. WAGSTAFF said that plan had been tried and it
had failed.

The ENGINEER reported that during the week there
had been 59,179,526 gallons of water received from.
Rivington, and 37,160,466 gallon% had been pumped
from the wells. There had been a rise of water in the
following:reservoirs :—Roddlesworth, 4 feet 4 inches ;
Rake, 3 feet 4 inches,. Anglesark, 3 feet 11 inches;
Rivington, 4 inches • Preseoti No. 2, I,linches. There
had been been a fall in the Prescot reservoir No. 1 of
11 inches.
- • Alderman 13ErNxErr-drew attention to an anonymous
letter which he had taken from the columns of the
Doily Post, and which referred to the action of the
Pike water upon lead. Water impregnated with lead
was unfit for supply to the public, and the committee
ought to. take the opinion of some eminent chemist
on the matter. The committee might take what course
they liked, but having drawn the attention of the com-
mittee to the fact, he would not take any responsibility
for the neglect of the committee.
Mr. CRELLIN and Mr. VERNON deprecated the employ-
ment of any more chemists, on the ground that several
opinions had been already taken.
Mr. CHARLES TURNER • regretted that Alderman
Bennnett should have referred to an anonymous
letter in that committee, and the more so be-
cause from opinions that had been already
.taken, he
was convinced that the water was not injurious to
health. Chemists might be found, who would doubtless
,mive an opinion against .the water, but nevertheless he
(Mr. Turner) was quite prepared to accept any amount
of responsibility in connection with the supply of the
Pike water to Liverpool.
The matter then dropped.
Mr. JEFFERY raid that after what Dr. Lankaster had
reported about the Pike water, he would not incur the
responsibility of Moving the resolution of which he gave
notice some time ago—namely, that the Pike water
alone be supplied to the town for one month. (hear,
hear.) The resolution was then,.by leaVe, withdrawn.
Several complaints of a deficient supply of water were
read, and the Engineer said the cause was the breaking
of a large number of service and other pipes, owing to
the late severe frosts.

This was the whole of the general business before the
committee.

THE DIOCESE or DURHAM.—The Bishop of Durham
has just issued a statement illustrative of the amount of
spiritual destitution in his diocese, from which his lord- •
ship concludes that no effectual impression can be made
on the destitute masses, unless such annual ample sub-
scriptions shall be raised as will furnish stipends for'
about fifty additional clergy. In futherance of this
object, a public meeting is to be held in Newcastle on
the MI proximo, at which Earl Grey will take the
chair...

A YOUTHFUL MURDERER.— A boy only ten years of
age has just been arrested at Dammarie-les-Lys, near
Melun, for the murder of a child five years old, with
whom he had been playing. It appears that some
quarrel arose between them, and the bigger boy plunged
his pocket-knife into his Companion's breast several
times, and when his victim was dead he drew the body
some distance away in order to hide it. The young
criminal, who appears to be well known for his perverse
disposition, has been lodged in prison.
PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.—BIRMINGHAM, DEC. 31.
—The Mayor of this town has called a town's meeting
for Friday evening next, "to consider the question of.
Parliamentary Reform." The requisition to his Wor-
ship to call this meeting lay at various places of public
resort for signature several days ; to the requisition
published, about 100 names are appended, and in a note
it is stated that "about 500 other names" are appended.
Of the modest hundred names published, not more than
a quarter of them are known, even in local circles ;
such is the interest taken in Mr. Bright's Reform Bill
in a population of more than a quarter of a million.