The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-10 00:00:00

the advocate of the scheme from the first day to the present
time—(hear, hear)—and whatever, therefore, might be the
value of Mr. Spencer's opinion, it would rest under some
suspicion, under such circumstances. Dr. Taylor's report
was decidedly the most valuable that had ever
been presented, and yet they were left to the
columns of the newspapers to obtain it. There was
another point connected with this matter, vv'oich was so
ridiculous, that he could not pass over it. The Deputy
Town Clerk, read a numb•r of reporls from different
places in the kingdom, as to the quality of the water
supplied to them, but what other answer, than that the
water was excellent, could be expected from parries wbo
had an interest in its supply to those places, and who,
perhaps, in some instances, derived a dividend from that
supply. (Hear, hear,) In the present state of things,
the most cautious inquiry was necessary. Dr. Taylor
told them that the colour of the water, which was ob-
jectionable, he had endeavoured to remove without
success. Now, could anything be stronger than an
expression of that kind in a report sent under the most
favourable auspices ? and if the colour were so objection-
able, was it not their duty to make inquiry, and find the
source from which that colour was derived, and
what mode could be adopted for its re-
moval ? (Hear. hear.) It was with that view
that he seconded the amendment of Mr. Atkin, at the
same time that he acknowledged that he thought the
course proposed by Mr. John Stewart, of giving them the
entire supply from the red sandstone, until the pipes
were cleaned, the best that could be alop' ed. (Hear.)
Mr. VT. Earle denied that the committee had ever
kept anything secret from the council (Hear, hear.)
Mr. St-ains expressed his determination to oppose
both the amendment and the original motion, being
convinced from Mr. Spencer's and Dr. Taylor's reports
that the Rivington water was good and excellent
Mr. Banner said that it would not cost near so much
as was stated to supply both waters to the town. A few
years ago there were in some streets three or four
mains— _ _

Mr. W. Earle : They have been all taken up—every
one of them. (Laughter.)
Mr. Hodson : And sold for old iron. (Laughter )
Mr. Banner : Then the committee have sacrificed a
good deal of valuable property for little or nothing. The
pipes were most of them newly supplied, and would have
lasted without injury a score of years.
Mr. Bennett rose amidst loud cries of " vote, vote." He
said—There are a number of gentlemen who are anxious to
speak on this important question. (Cries of " no, no.")
Mr. Woodruff : There has been speaking enough already.
Mr. S. Holroe : Mr. Mayor, you may go to London, and
pass the Birkenhead dock bill, and you will find us here when
you come back.
Mr. Bennett : I only say that the Mayor, filling the
position he does, can appoint another gentleman to the
chair ; and I do so b.cause I feel that there is yet much to
be said on the subject. (Cries of "no, no" " vote, vote.")
The Mayor : I am doing my duty by being in this
council, and by going to London, I can only be doing the
same.
Mr. S. Holme : I hope you will take the votes.
The Mayor : Then I shall take the votes on Mr. Aikin's
amendment.
Mr. Jeffery : Before you do so allow me to detain the
council for half a minute. (Loud cries of " No, no.") I
shall simply say—(loud cries of " Spoke, spoke")—that
you will be coming to no conclusion ; therefore, I shall vote
for the amendment, and then I shall, I presume, be entitled
to a reply.
The council then divided, when there were 13 for Mr.
Aikin's amendment, and 26 against it. The motion was
therefore lost. _

The voting was as follows :
For the motion : Councillors Shiel, Haydock, Godfrey,
Banner, W. P. Jeffreys, Picton, J. R. Jeffery, Kitchen,
Beckwith, Aikin, Aldermen Bennett, Parker, Garduer--13.
Against the motion : Councillors Crosthwaite, Anderson, Stitt,
Woodruff, Tyrer, Turner, Steains, Fernihough, Holme,
Wagstaff, Shand, Branekor, Earle, Johnson, Hodson, Mellor,
Clint, Farnworth, Robertson, Anthony, Aldermen Chilton,
Prestofl, Dover, Cooper, Holme, The Mayor 26.
Mr. Alderman Parker : I give notice of a second amend-
ment. .

—,,—.
Mr. S. Holme : You are not in order.
Mr. Alderman Parker : I am in order, and I beg leave to
move as an amendment— _ _

- --
Mr. S. Holme : I beg to suggest that the memorial be
referred to the water committee.

Mr. Parker . I insist on my right to put the amend-
ment.

Mr. Irolme : You are not. in order.

The Mayor : Mr. Alderman Parker is in order.
Mr. Parker then moved the following as an amendment
to the original motion, instead of having it as a specific
motion, as he had given notice :—" That this be an in
struetion to the water committee, that all the pumping
stations be kept at work, so that the present home supply of
45,000,000 gallons per week be still continued to the
inhabitants, and that (when free from colour) the Rivington
water be supplied as necessity may require it. He
said the object he had in view was to protect
the present supply of water more than to interfere
with the future. From what they had already heard, it
would appear that some of the engines were already stopped,
and it would seem that more were to be stopped,
so that in a short time they would not have any supply at
at all of the red sand stone water. The motion he pros
posed was that the water committee "should be instructed"
so that it was only an instruction to them, and from their
conduct on that occasion he could say that he had but little
faith in them, and he did not think that the council should
he over scrupulous with them, therefore he did trust
that he should have the support of the council.
Now, if the engines were stopped, he would ask,
where were they to get their supply from? He did
hope that the council would thus instruct the water
committee, but if they did not, then they had another
resource they could, and perhaps would, follow up. He did
not know what others might think, but he did hope that
such a course would be pursued.
Mr. M‘Gluffia : I will second the amendment. Since I
left this room I have been on 'Change and I there saw a
gentlemen who told me that he had been compelled to
remove from Fairfield to Hoylake in consequence of the
badness of the water there.
Mr. Beckwith : It cannot be from that, for there is no
Pike water at Fairfield.
Mr. Cooper : It has never been turned on at Fairfield.
Mr. C. Turner : The gentleman may have removed, but
not from the cause stated—
Mr. Cooper said : I can confirm your remark, sir. There
is not one person out of fifty that have been talking about
the Pike water, who had never had it all. As I expected
that some such statements would be made I asked Mr.
Duncan, and from him I learned that there had never been
any of the Pike, or the mixed water there at all.
Mr. James Holme said, that by giving such instructions to
the water committee, and if they were to carry them out,
the town would be left without water. He hoped that the
recommendation would be sent to the water committee who
will get a report thereon, and do that which he believed
would be necessary, and of advantage to the town at
large.
Mr. Bennett said, he heard that there was some mistake '
in the statement made by Mr. M'Guflie. The gentleman
may have lived in the district, to the right or to the left of
Fairfield, and so got the supply—and there was no doubt,
but that he left because of the water. They had been told,
that the supply was one day from Windsor, and anothar
from Bootle, but he chanced to know that the Windsor
water was the Rivington water. So the water was mixed
with other water, and the statement of how it
was supplied proved it. Now, with regard to a
few of the statements that they had pat before
them. (Cries of " No, no," and "Vote, vote.") Mr.
Earle had attacked the signatures to the memorial with
more than his usual power, and Mr. Earle was the last
gentleman who would state that which he did not believe,
and therefore he was the more surprised at his statements ;
but Mr. Sheil had very soon set his arguments at rest. Mr.
Earle had laid great stress on the opinion of Mr. Lynn,
but lie did not think that such an opinion should weigh
against such practical men as Dr. Brosklebank, Dr.
Manifold, and others whose names appeared to the memo-
rial. He thought that they should do in that case as they
would in others, consult the most fit and proper persons, and
take their opinion on the subject. They had heard an
eloquent appeal from Mr. S. Holme, but they had not,
with the exception of Mr. Earle, had one member of the
water committee to address the council. Ile then pro-
ceed, d amid noise and disapprobation to comment en the
speech of Mr. S. Holme, and Ur, Stitt, and concluded
amidst loud cries of "Vote, vote," by observing that he
did not believe that the water committee were acting
according to the Wishes of the council, or to the public at
large.
Mr. Hodson then rose, but was met with loud
cries of " Vote, vote," and much confusion. Ile
commenced by observing athat he wished he had
an epitome of Mr, Bennett's speech before them, and it
would be found that for the last eight years he had never
been right. Mr. Bennett had predicted that the water
would never come to Liverpool—that the reservoirs would
all be destroyed. For the last eight years Mr. Bennett had
always been giving them his opinion of the Pike, and yet
he was always wrong. He had on former occasions been
wrong as to the quantity, and then he WB3 wrong as to its
quality, Now, he (Mr. Hcdson) had had the water
delivered at his house—
Mr. Haydock : Yes, sir, mixed. (Laughter.)
Mr. Hodson : And he had done what others had done—
he had ascertained, from the best authorities, that the water
was good, and that it was more healthy than the water they
had previously been receiving. The public were also
satisfied with it, and they must do all in their power to show
the public that it was healthy. On Thursday last, at the