Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-11-04 00:00:00

THE TOXTETH PARK COMMISSIONERS.

These Commissioners held their usual periodical meeting
Yesterday morning. Mr. Alp se presided. The other
ommi shmers present were M sets. Urquhart, Rogers,
Darsie, &e.
Tne minutes of th-last. meeting were read a-d confirmed,
after which, the proceedings f tire Finance and Sewarege
Committee were adopted. The follerwinj special leeort
was alio read. REPORT.
" Your Finance Committee hafng taken into their con-
sideration the important subject referred to them by the
hoard at their meeting of 7th July, 1857, namely the de-
sirable ness of having tie rural district incorporated with
the borough of Liverpool, bee to report as follows:
" That in 1812, by 5 and 6 Vic., chap. 105, the extra-
earochial place of Toxteth-park was divided, for the
purpose of sewering, paring, and cleansing, into two
districts, in the larger and more popu'ous of which only
the Commissioners under that act had power to exrchte
drainage wo ks. Th t district was made a portion of toe
hetnugh of Lit erpool by the Municipal Corporations Act,
1835, and in 1846, by 9 and 10 V c., chap. , commonly
called the Liverpool San story Act, the powers of the
commissioners of Toxteth-park within that district were
transferred to the Heal h C immittee of the borough. In
1855, by 18 and 19 Vic., chap. 125, the B rard of Com-
missioners, the functions of whioh were restricted to the
rural district, was transformed into t's existing Board of
H alth.
" The a et of the whole of Toxtelb-park, according to
the ordnance surrey, is 2,351 acres, 3 roods 37 perches,
of which on'y abou. 1,400 acres are inclulei in the rural
di •trict.
"The prrition and shape of the rural district are pecu-
liarly disadvantageous to the ratepayers, who are thus laid
under the oh'igation of maintaining a large extent of road
surface, including the Aigbue h-read, Smithdown-lane,
Greenbank-lenh and part of 111 e -lane, the use of which
is ell fly e-j •yed by persons whe reside without the dis-
trict, and do not in any way contiele its to the cost of main-
tenance. They are for the most part residents in the
borough, and in the suburban districts of Gerston, Waver-
tree, Aileron, and Wo Jon, who pass over the ma's
referrel to as they p oceed tr and from Liverpool. It
appears worthy of c nasidera iin whether the B tari of
Health of a district so situated should not be empowered to
obtain from the borough and the raj ;cent townships some
relief from the oppressive bar ens thus imposed upon the
ratepayers. It the case under conside alion, the weight of
tee burden could be reduced, if the area of rate conthbu-
lion be enlarge], by re-uniting the two districts into which
Texts) h-p irk has been arb'trari'y divided.
"Your committee hive been informed that the iespec-
tars of tie general board, v hen sut veying the limits of
any district int a which the Health Act is to be introduced,
are instructed to pay trip chit at ention to its local and
physical featuree, in o der tha its limits may coincide as
nearly as pchsible with those of the natural drainage area.
Tito object in view appears to be that all the outfit! and
other sewere may be entirely within the limits of juris-
diction of the heard, under whose authority they may be
co-structed. It is remarkable, therefore, that the great
southern ou'fall of the borough of Liverpool, for 3,346
yards of its course, lies wholly or pirtialy within the
viral districts of • Texteth P irk. Commencing at the
outfall on the strand of the ltlhrsev at the west end of
Diaelf-fate, that part of the server thence to the junction
of Lo lee-lane with Ullet-lane, a length of 2,091 yards, is
on the boundary Inc between the borough and the rural
dtitr'ct, and is therefore p in both. Fro n Lo -
lane through Ullet-lane, an 1 across the Etrl of Slcon'a
fields to Smithdew !lane, a lene h of 1 255 ta ar ls, th,
sewer lies wholly wi hie the rural ihtniet. It is to be
observed tat the Health committee of Liverpool ease it
make any use of the latter r)rtioe of their sewers by
lateral connection', without tray:l:slug sore p )rt of the
nu e( district-ea coutingency aptly illustrated in the case
Of th hr sewer now b coestructed for the drainage of
that part of the borough hhirth herders upon Lodge-lane.
It wes found most expe,lient to connect this sewer
with the southern etrfall threugh the sewer in Grove
Pak, belonging to the Toxteth Beard of Health. On the
other hand, the only fe sih'e outfal for the drainage of
Grove Perk was into Ihe Liverpool otit'al'. Where the
southern outfall sewer Fes patei diet in the two districts it
is semetimes found meet desirable that the prep-rty
which is within the rued district and adjec nt to the
sewer shoed I be drafted int ) that ()titian, as, for faimp'e,
property on the southerly side of Ullet lane and that on
the east-rly side of Lodge-lane. 'Thus the anomaly arises
of property which lies in one district being drained into
the s,.wer of another district, in the management of
which the owner of that prop ray has no voce— a
coniegenty which apecars t be wholly at variance wi 11
the spirit of th G 11 r_l h Act, and with the old
cons•i ution .1 principle of loctel s Phgorernment. A
farther preetie 1 disadrantage is entailed upon the owner
of property thus drained ; he ii compelled to ray for the
privilege in one sum, ace ordieg to the assessment for poo -
tette, when, if his property were in the` same district with
la all, eeeese t .i try' 1,17 cca: Di
falling entirely upon himself.
tt In re-peel to police, the rural dlstrict is dereedent
far die 'le en part upon the e. uety const titulary ; it is,
however, dorbtfrd, c nsidering its close proximity to so
large a town, and with the great increese, in those resi-
dences which offer strong temptatio a to the eyilolispesed,
whether the pretecti hi thus aft ,rded w 11 he suffl !hilt for
aty ler.gth of time. It is prehab'e that any additional
r itecion which may be required will ha obtained At the
least cuss, a d at the same time most affihiently, from the
borough police.

"Ina fi .anc7al asp-et, it (I,es not appear that ine,r-
pnreion with Liverp.)7,l w,,ulcl he Tn that part
of 7,x'.,,th-park which is now included within the b)r,,ngh
boundary, !Le ra',es fur th y-2ar cudillg March 31, 1858,
tire as folio IS3

s. 0.
Lidfing and fire-nolies. .
Pdving (including ft ~gg;n -, cleansin,,,&,:.)
.... 1 0
S-wer (uce half to be deduAcd from the owner
out of rent)
0 5
Wat.er (for public purposts, extin4uir,hing fires,
G-,&ner.il.c.)
0 1
.
.
WaTeli
,• 0 1
Museum. .................... ...
~ 0 2

To'al in 'he Irtrouzb
The corresponding rates lo vied within the run! district I..tr
the current, year are 113 fvllows:—

El igh way...
General dis trier
CQun'y ( pGI ice, )

F. Ci.
0 10
0 8
0 9

Toerl in the rural district .. 2 3
T) the latter, hoeeeer, must be added .he cost of removine
ni4ht3oil (ircluded in the b .rough rates), which, (ender
the pr,seet system, is probably Oct less than Id. ; sod also
the rate for sewere, which is only paid in those parts of
the district in which s:-veers have been cons ruce:d. If
Grove Park be taken as ar, illuerratver —it is the only one
the diet ict at persnt offers—the rate there will b;
for 30 year, exclusive of any to the g-meral rate,
which may be r(eiulre I to pey the cost of maintenance.
As the sewers of the district are likely to be largely r x
te:.ded within a short period, it is prob b'e that the greater
portion of the rateable p-operti of the district wll be
hrooght under a charge si,vilar to that now impwed ueoe
Grove Park. Adding the items estimated for sewers and
r Wessell to the sum given. above as the total in the rural
district, that amount will be raised to 2s. 911., or 41. in
exce=s of the rates pail by that p.rtion of Toxtoth-prrk
which is within the borengli.
ft There are several w'tbin the diserict in which
the highways a e susceptible 0' very great improvement;
and fie-, board are empowered to tffdct s ;ch imprev..ments
as they may c rrsider expedient, provided they have the
consent of thos, re-reens whose property is.r(quired for the
purpose. But, as before observed, a cen:ide•able part of
those highways are chiefly used by people who do not re-
side in the district,. and consequently do not contribute to
defray the expense. In many cases, therefore, it would be
urj'sc to saddle the ratepayers with the Casts of improve-
ments by which they are but very partial'y benefitted The
force of this consideration is greatly strengthened where
iinpe,vemerts cannot be eff( eted except by compulsory
powe s specially conferred by Parliament. The c,sts of an
application for such powers would is themselves be a c )n-
-siderahle addition to the rates in any year, and swell the
aggregate, expenses of improvements to an amount for
which, ie general, it w .ull be unreasonable to tax the ra'e-
payers. however, these impree einents were usidntaken
by the counel of the borough, the proportion paid by cash
ratepayer would be insignifcant, as compared with the
advantages conferred upon the community at large.
ter These facts and considerations appear to show that
.he segge‘ted incorporation with the borough would be in
no respect injurious either to the owrers of properly or to
the ratepayers. On the contrary, many minor advantages
may to anticipated in seldifoe to those before referred to.
as, for example; unity of enanagemsnt, additional foot-
crossings and lamps, the watering of the roads, &c. ; these
latter c-nvenienees the Board Nave not felt justified in
providing, though the cost is small, as the area of taxation
is so limited. If it lel further considered that there is
very great difficull in securing upon the Board the ser-
vices of the number of gentlemen specified by the act,
your committee thick that the suggested itcorporation
will emu to be very desirable; and that year by year, as
the population increases, &ad the district bseomes more and
more assimilated to Liverpool, the expediency of Etloti a
measure will grow into an urgent necessity.
" Tour committee, therefore, recommend that a special