Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-10-23 00:00:00

tuate the fraud and deception (whether knowingly

or not we do not care), which has been so long

practised on the people of Liverpool in regard to
the well supply.

We tell the Committee, and we make the asser-
tion on no light grounds, that the wells are, even
now, capable of yielding much more water than
the people of Liverpool can legitimately use.
Then, why should we be afflicted, accursed is
the proper term, with any admixture of the
abominable Pike wash. The Water Com-
mittee have in their employment men
of intelligence and integrity, conversant
with all the details, who would, if they dared,
disclose the truth, but their lips are hermetically
sealed—a system of the most brutal intimidation
has long been in operation in connection with
these works, which is a reproach to all concerned.
The veriest course of deception has been openly
and unblushingly practised, and yet no one
cognisant of the same dared to denounce it. But
we tell the Committee of the present day, or
whoever may be their successors, that this
system can no longer be continued with im-
punity. The whole management, ever since the
works passed into the hands of the Corporation,
has been one system of jugglery and decait.
The antipathies of the Water Committee, or at
least of a majority of them, were rendered sub-
servient to the interests of deep designing
schemers, who, for their own selfish ends, em-
braced every opportunity of traducing the home
supply, and exalting that of the Pike, regardless
of truth or the welfare of the inhabitants. We
have already counselled the ratepayers as to the
course they ought to pursue, seeing that the
Water Committee have tried so many experiments
for their own satisfaction, and for the pecuniary
advantage of persons who have been so long bask-
ing in the sunshine of their favour. It is full
time that they should now respond to the wishes
of their constituents, and make a fair and honest
trial of the capabilities of the wells to afford
the supply necessary for the wants of the
town.

The Water Committee can have no just or
legitimate excuse for not making such an ex-
periment. We believe they yet have some few
honest men in their employment, who, if per-
mitted, would very soon practically demonstrate
that there existed no necessity for any admixture
of Pike water to make up an alleged deficiency
of the well supply, but, on the contrary, that
the latter, with honest management, is ample
for every purpose, and that it would prove so
for years to come. But, then, let the manage-
ment be an honest one—not such as has charac-
terised that of the last ten years. If the Water
Committee are honourable men (as we never
doubted they were) they will accept the challenge,
and boldly declare their readiness to put the
matter to the proof. Tois is a concession
which, in justice to themselves, they ought at
IL will 111VOlvo
ialerruption to any experiments or
operations which the agents or the employees of
the Water Committee may have in hand. We
believe the modus operandi of the test, we
propose, can very soon be arranged. Certain
members of the Council endeavour, as usual, to
hold up that exploded hobgoblin " fire," in order
to frighten the old women, or big children of
the Council, into a belief that in the event of
a fire breaking out, and from some (it might be
unavoidable cause) there was not an adequate
supply of water available for its extinction, the
Council would be held responsible for all
damage, however great.
How long shall we be calle 1 upon to combat
such ridiculous phantoms. The bare notion is
something more than prepostrous. So long as
the Council use their utmost endeavours to
supply good and pure water for the use of the
inhabitants, and as far as practicable maintain
their mains charged,, nothing more can be required
of them, or any other body entrusted with water
supply. A. hundred contingencies might arise
where, even with four Pikes, the supply to Liver-
pool might prove inadequate. A drought might
occur, not for one year merely, but for a succes-
sion of years, as has been the case often, when
the whole of the sources of this supply would be
dried up. Some convulsion of nature might take
place, causing an overthrow of the enormous Pike
embankments, and a consequent deluge of Pike
water.

It is within the range of possibility, and even
probability, that there are, even now, small,
and undiscovered leakages underneath some of
these embankments, through which a little
dribblet of water may be escaping unnoticed or
unknown, but which may by degrees be under-
mining the embankment, and may burst out at
a great distance in this treacherous ground,
and empty the reservoirs without the slightest
warning ; or subsidies may occur on the line of
pipeage, or intermediate reservoirs, whi2h
might be the means of depriving Liverpool of
any supply for weeks together.
But these are only a few of the mischances
which might arise from the Pike supply—none
such exist with regard to the wells. Here the
supply is on the spot ; no artificial embank-
ments, or other works necessary to retain it in
its place ; nor is it influenced by the seasons,
whether wet or dry. Even an earthquake, suppos-
ing such a thing to occur, by further dislocating
the sandstone rock, in place of causing any
injury, would be positively beneficial, as we
would then find the wells filled to overflowing
by a natural operation. So much for the fanciful
objections which sundry pro-Pikeists have in-
dulged in regarding the well supply. The Cor-

poration have nothing to fear by returnigoleta,
this, if they elp so with an honest VII.P
Acts of Parliament notwithstanding.

4. rt• le, i°
Tax ACCOMMODATION SY STF M. The CitY
yesterday's Times, contains the following in
casel
whiciz has come before the London paplit„u„Peer
Court:—" Another touch of enlightenment on the 0-day
tnodation bill system, was given to the public YeSter
A OP
in the BaakrupteY Court. Messrs. Sedgrove a"
upholsterers of Finsbury, came up for their certioel3o
Their transactions had been extensive, amounting ° heir
thanor. three years to little short of £200,000,
reference
to-
iginal capital having been below £2,000, the; bele
supplied their wants by the wholesale creation ni h'
for which they obtained discount from soroe,tohfogra-epi
quiet gentlemen in the Metropolie wha, hist
ostensible occupation, employ their means illeelogg
g
encouragement to traders of this description* lj
was the financier of the concern, and from the s,-elef
him
displayed, the public may hope' to he'3ll
0
arinseagain whenever a neer speculative manise-b
lie evidently belongs to the class- froas weisty
mshareholders of great companies delight to seleeAi.o•o4
thantagers, and would probably, if his talents
all rivals
appropriate sphere, have distiteguishedilitnseP
rivals in the speed with which he would hstrd the
usual
the property of his constituents, and ga"- se
skill t stimeniafor vote of thanks for his elevotion•
in manufacturing that which some of the Bir°l
or eCrlifT:
ot
currency writers woul call money la
attempts unhsitating, and, although there Was scar°e'
to conceal the character of his PaPerd'i of
influence was such even on the suspicious entre
and capitalists
that two of the fraternity—a Mr; Je""iiro ts
aMr. Stephens—had been accustomed for years
billste
negotiate his draughts without question as gPlne_,
at a discount of 10 per cent. In fact, his eViiPosee
transactions with More since 1847 are alleged' To thol
reached .4'2)0,000 or £300,000. but it is d° bet
personage to state that, although in his sin3Pliei`Jestellt
iastfo found himself a creditor ntrdieorrethhei estaistteatkoetbil; ;0;1
of X 2,700, he endeavoured to rue
acpreferential assignment of security .s
man act °l.s,hereteri'
sni•rss defeated only by the vigilance of other er`-1 ele
Mr. Ragg seems to have kept a staff' of accePt°hrts. 110
admitsaccustomed
that a Mr. Smith, of the Isle of Wig7-I'§ Per
ustomed to assume that position at the rate "600
bill, signing them in bundles, as if they nad,beeeteu Afr
Northern) dividend warrants, without e%aral°- °fi°ol.
psooNirrman living in London, named Woodman, Ailstad
a . Woodman, of To • • aceeP- eo,
!quay, had likewise, ere fit°,,f
hills—in fact, as many as were wanted. te t
of Stratford-terrace, was another agent,
gave his acceptances in any amounts and at
but who also authorized the nephew of Mr. Sog,affBoes:
senior partner, to sign in his name—a rivilege 11'
gentlemant seems to have appreciated. Pelle Orl'illlcr.k
forwo youths in the service of the firm were ills
.0° sate .k
the same distinguished employnocat• 'tpeic Oge'
Georgeto accept
Jones, aged le, with wages of 63 per wie,.;
accept in the name of Mr. Gutteridge,f :oorale!je.
who, he was told, was a gentleman of
means, bat afflicted with paral sis• 14°1,111' sig:
16, in the receipt of £2O ya
year, use-- 10°Ire°
name of Bradley ; and a Mrs. Mary AO%OO
who worked for them at 83 per week, rate sYis°
Mr. Hirous, of 5, Middleton terrace, NI ati°:
her place in the money market under that doosles- the
as ahsearedsspoofnsible for £2,000. These are merely s°ot f[r
the disclosures. They were draws °to et'e
solicitor to the assignees to induce the Oiiirt flefer'
some fitting and severe punishment. Jadeenerit't-°ho
was deferred. It seems to have been hinted that t bon
position to the bankrupts is conducted Psill'eSt•
instance of More, the discounter, and the saliei° at "-a
attended on behalf of Ragg pointed to this Pe lop
most culpable. But, whatever may be the oPiii',.o-e0
respect, it is not because the most culpable ""cp
escape his deserts the other should escaPe
6
Alfred Sadgrove. the nephew, who accepted i):041°;
eriminately in the name of Brown,--en indiviioft;
existences altogether questioned,—and Wll3l, :Oct
have been present while the lad Jones was :1:19
the name of Mr. Gutteridge, will, as la. td, t
concern: 1:10;0
powers
_of the Bankruptcy Court are
of age,""elY L"'"'Y
tt;nd
pleads that he was only a serran • _oio
have lost, lila place it heel ,iU acted as his tn
91016
have
directed. The Court will doubtless see in thidiod
jamnotheerd, feature that gives the case eltracW tt°
thepor ante. It is not alone from the eir 00;101 °fll°
manufacture of accommodation bills is °,1195004011
t,.mosta base offences now extending througho° opic
thea
leo,n fostered by a set of money lenders who idloire3,4°;
run, fatten upon its proceeds, that
peculiagr attention. Its worst pointthat 'el lisf
the extent to which nurseries of crime isalbe pt dPett-e131:
through the villany of employers. In the raced ea 'la
of the Customs' robberies at Belfast,. it waostitin7chilso.riet:
the offender seemed to have train
.complicity with his rascality. The young men 03e° s,oedtP 1,1;1
were
employ considered that they excuse
would his servants, and bound to °beef thell.-
carry them through an thin el:, °er°
tway Mr. Ragg appears, in addition t°
tort'
of fictitous paper, to have kept
future candidates for the 13th-54°111
urliofdeceptions and forgeries, :re,t°itir
adoptedp at ofthe dictation of a master is altn°9-tno 13.41ber
turned to personal account in later life. °tett-1111s liTt°'''
the system of adulteration and advancing al5 o„lier
frauds, such as hive lately been exposed' ; est Pit
merits
assert that a number of our treat seelt.:elf
of are merely schools of corruption for t; to °la,
young persons employed in therne and etbi:ewoaes;Plit
the place of every member of an existing " tepee
half a dozen pupils are graduating who will,Per„e-lfree a°
next generation. The state of the law reil°6.lool7,
to crush the evil, but we can seize such
arew lh o presented,andgioomy.oppete ro
if we neglect to :do so Or P
ion Prt° Of
-

ore 000
NECESSITY FOR: DUCK E7CTENSION.---”' the aol
op .n goo 1 authority, that at the !fleeting Of oreig
the Chamber of Commerce, held yoiterdaYlludisto
unusually large attendance of members, inegat repolo,
deputies from other associations, and en, trittrefloetlif,
demand for dock extensioa, that no less tn,e, doe% ni b
motions, all based upon a strong demand
dation, were.brought forward before the tin`.-.
; ed )11 th
tlit
ultimately adopted the- resolution contained of .0 e.
endings, noted in another column. 9hs' tbet>
~tll
Nuw SCHOOLS AT Bansmaxam—The -°4loit-
new schools at Birkenhead, in connectiani„ja Ytio
leyan Church, tlrunswiek-street, ()i(/'
afternoons in Beckwith-street, in the' ttv" rtl°- 1
A.
was a large assemb'age of the respeetablesl;oth,ihoviii
ad
tuah:ssiseldleamlbpbrycoloyerx.ese ceremonies commanity prezent oa the interesting ee pee, -tot the
hnFlee,,srruens7tui wereaorlar
ce,sion was formed and proceeded to the Poet of
siavnmeri,itd,
hs.kot ets.ll,:wgeerr4eot.°,°.affearred:G:Dee„rvaro
ad•vanced. oditot 1010
teohpdhi..served, and the 0' 1,0064 to
Th son of Mr. Alderman Green, ST. ",,fe it td
prietor of the Wexford Independent, news( e fore ears
appointed !o the chair of the Archaologine Via %It
College of Ushaw, Durham, a distinction nesoeieit 01`;f0
to so young a man as Mr, Greene is, onlYby Oo r 0
of sr, and Ir.s gained his proud position ii„eotol_4,oo
A brother of this young genticman, 01Y eciels Velth
of age, recently carried riff ceveral gold f°Dabl,io'
prizes at examine:ions at Trinity College, av, Pod' 00,
the last ten days another young Wexford n 3 essfal tbaobie
unaided, except by his talent, was the succod 3600
at a comaeLative examination in li.tiodollls appal of ear
of great interest and opp)sition, he .114.3 $ ssialbd
engilee/7 of the Great Indi in RailwaY,,a"f lop° tiler
r°
a yea;. Well may the model county'
Of a
ribly
NAVIGATION THE! DANUBE.---BrePrO tive b
of tar
IyouTrlgo sons. ort rote 's 101 s
unsatisfactory character, says a letter f °rootlike, AO
have been received by the Itu,slan rePe potinol.7o;
European commission on the off Air of 03._ osteo,ol,ol
Offenberg particularly complains of tu:f the the
pbta
Anstria throws in the way of the labours "„obere
Daa
of the river which are in the p
She has gone so far as to refuse to tbe 03`ef tile 3'01;
lesession Are ,
Steam N • b tbeY '0
Navigation Company, alt out ,1,.1
sable. On the other band, a letter I.ropediris
that Austria has no intention to throw/or tbecotoPolle
way of making the navigation free, ae oberedy.olo
navigable, although, as it will be repleepsted
aS
in the Paris; Conference, at first Pr°-
arrangement.