Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-10 00:00:00

the water to yield a more decided evidence of the presence
of lead than the sample which he had examined a few
months since. Now, in point of fact, although the Own
was only supplied with half the water from Bivington, and
half from the wells, the Corporation were actually selling
to the people of Liverpool poison. (Hear, hear, and Oh,
oh.) All the water passed through lead pipes, and
received some of the poisonous properties. He contended
that even the saving effected by the Riwington water was
but trifling. Since that water had been introduced, the
enormous leakage which had been found in all parts of the
town required 120 plumbers a•day some days to repair If
these leakages were stopped. and the pipes rendered com-
p eratively tight, the 45,000,000 of gallons, which
were insufficient through the leaky pipes, would be
more than amply sufficient. For although the sheet
produced at each day of meeting showed 74,000,000
or 75,000,000 gallons of mixed water, admitted
into the reservoirs, still they knew that almost every gen
tieman had his cistern emptied three or four times a week,
and that there was an enormous waste of water emptied
through the plugs. What was the sating by the admission
of Rivington water? Merely £5OO in the half year. The
Rivington reservoir now stood something like eight feet
below its level, although there had been a great deal of
rain. He heard, with surprise and astonishment, Mr.
Hawksley say at the Water Committee, a short time age,
that he never told anybody there could not be abundance
of water obtained from the red sandstone. He appealed
to Me. Woodruff whether Mr. Hawksley did not say so.
Mr. WOOD a lIFF : I understood Mr. Hawksley to make
that statement.
Mr. BENNETT said that for the most paltry outlay they
might obtain twice forty-five millions of gallons from the
red sandstone which they all so highly prized. Far batter
for them to leave the Rivington water to the bleachers and
others for whose purposes it was suited, and get the well
water again. If the memorial which was just read
were not a trick upon them—it looked uncommonly like
a trick—the only advantage which was proposed
by the bringing of the Rivington water to Liverpool—it
being a soft eveter, .which would save, as some gentlemen
said £50,000 a-year in the use of soap—appeared not likely
to be realised ; for the very parties whose interests were
so much mixed up with the use of soap, to the number of
forty, in a very limited neighbourhood, now told them that
the water did not produce the effect which had been
anticipated, and the parties who employed them in wash-
ing—the very purpose for which the water was so strongly
recommended—were to so large an extent objecting to it.
Then let them consider the baths. One of the principal
medical men of Liverpool, a physician, speaking to him
upon the subject the other day, said that he went fre-
quently to - Cornwallis-street Baths, and often could not
bathe on account of the water being so filthily dirty. The
man who attended at the baths often said to him when he
went in, " The water will not suit you to-day, sir; the
water is very dirty to-day." It "as not fit to wash the
outside of the body, and yet the committee persevered in
considering it fit to be drunk. That seemed rather
preposterous. (Hear, hear.) Yet they were only re-
ceiving half Rivington. What would be the effect
if the Committee dared, as they had been taunted for not
daring, to let the Rivington water without any mixture
come into Liverpool. They all knew what the conse-
quence would be very well. Neither the quantity nor the
quality would be for one day tolerated. (Hear, hear )
Everything which had been said up in the subject by those
who, like himself, had advocated the home supply, was
more than fully borne out. He stood there—and he felt
proud to stand there —as one who had truly prophesied
in regard to that unfortunate scheme in all its aspects.
They were neither receiving the quantity nor the quality
promised to them, andohe water was now becoming so
distasteful to the inhabitants that, in a very short time,
they would rise up es one man and protest against it.
If there were any good qualities in it, did they think the
tact and sound sense of the chairman of the Committee
would not have pointed them out? But did he attempt to
show that it was fit for use? No ; and he (Mr. Bennett)
knew that there were several members of the Water Com-
mittee who were thoroughly disgusted with it, and
not only themselves but their wives and families too.
Why could they not have the courage at once to come
forward and say that they had committed a fault, and had
done wrong in recommending that unfortunate scheme?
They saw now that even their engineer who led thorn into
it told them to their faces that they had always had an
ample supply under their feet. After having told them
before that the wells were being pumped dry; that year
after year the quantity was lessening, that it was limited ;
that it was percolating over a surface area, he now told
them, told the whole committee (foe ho believed nearly
all the members were present at the time) that he never
said there was not an abundant supply of well water for
the use of the inhabitants. What, then, had the Council
been doing but spending money most lavishly in carrying
out a perfec ly useless scheme ?
Mr. Alderman /10LAIE : I hope I may be allowed to say,
that if Mr. Bennett has nothing in the world to do bat to
waste time, he should have remembered that others here
have theiy time fully occupied.
Mr. BECKWITH : I should not mind listening to a speech
of five hours' length, if we arrive at anything definite, but
this is about the sevetry-third speech I have heard from
Mr. Bennett on the water question, and I am just as wise
to day as I was at first. (Laughter, and hear, hear )
The MAYOR said he could not prevent Mr Bennett from
speaking so lung as he was in order.
Mr. BENNE T, after a few further remarks, concluded his
.address.
Mr. JEFFERY thought it very much to be regretted that
the Council had not had anything like a report from the
Water Committee.
Mr. Alderman George : We reg et it as much as you
do.

Mr. JFFITRY thought it disrespectful to the Council and
he community out of do mg, who were constantly complain-
log of the state of the water, that the committee who
sought, at the hands of the May council, fir an eaten ion
of time for another month, should be still, in the month of
August, unprepared with their report. (gear, hear) On
that occasion, he believed, Mr. James Holme, the real organ
of the committee, said that if the weer did not, after a
specified time, prove acceptable to the eemmunity, it
should come into the town unmixed, and it should then
be for the public to decide whether they would rective it
or not. Now, after so decided an expression en the part
of so prominent a member of the committee, he thought it
was due to the Council that a report should be presented
by the committee, earefally prepared, embodying the im-
pressions made upon their minds down to the present, and
asking plainly far whatever farther extension of time they
required, and it would then be for the Council to say
whether that 'extension Onald be accorded. Were the
members of the Connell to be treated as though they had
no influence there, then their opinions unheeded, their
remonstrances uncared for ? Were the appeals from out
of doors based upon experience, to be totally disregarded
in that Chamber ? He held in his hand several notes
received from parties bearing their signatures, and among
them he would just read a parag-raph from one or two. A
letter dated Duke-streer, Edge-hill, July 15th, said, " How
long are we to be afflicted and puuishcd by being com-
pelled to use the Pike water? I have a large family,
their daily ccmplaint is We cannot drink it.' Can
nothing bo done to avert it ? I am sometimes inclined to
make use of very hard expressions towards the promoters
of one of the most nefarious jobs which was ever con-
cocted in this or any other town." He had received a
letter from a gentlemen iu Wavertree, who suffered
severely from the effects of the water upon lead. He
would not trouble the Council with the letters now, but
he ,would take care that some of them should be published.
He did think the Water Committee had treated the Council
with marked disrespect in not having produced a report
which the Council could deal with. If the committee per-
sisted in pursuing such a course, he would leave the fines.
tion to the public out of doors to take it into their own
hands, and deal with it as they thought fit. If the com-
mittee persisted in their course, it would become the duty
of the minority in the council chamt er to move that the
whole of that committee resign their appointments, and
that a new committee be appointed, that they might see
whether new ideas could be formed upon that important
question—important as involving health and lives—the
health, certainly, of ell, and the lives of not a Litv, who
were obliged to partake of such water. (Hear, hear.) It
should be tested whether new ideas could not bo brought
to bear, and, he was going to say, more sincerity ; for cer-
tainly here had been an amount of reservation upon the
part of that Committee which the Council had never ex-
perienced on the part of any committee bef ay. ("Hear,
hear," and "No, no.") Ag and again ho said that such
treatment of the Council by a committee ought to be
deprecated, and that steps ought to be taken to prevent a
repetition of it. (Hear, hear.)

M. HODSON defended the committee on the ground that
the delay of the report was owing to circumstances over
which they had no control, and that by the next Council
he had no doubt the report would be prepared. He
declared, and he dared any scieatific man to confrVict
him, that a more healthy water could not be possibly dis-
tributed. He appealed to the state of the town, as evi-
denced by the report of the dispensarie?, proving how
healthful the water was, Ho pointed our, amid much
laughter, the inconsistency into which Mr. Bennett had
fallen when he said Mr. Charles Melly de•erved the th inks
of the whole town for distributing ev3ry day to thousands
of persons that water which he immediately afterwards
declared to be absolutely poisonous.

Mr. KITCIIEN said that a short time since he had occasion
to send for his surgeon, a gentleman who stood very high
in the medical profession in Liverpool Before leaving, he
asked him (Mr. Kitchen) what was being done in regard
to the witer. He (Kr. Kitchen) replied that the Water