The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-02 00:00:00

NAVIGATION BILL:

On the motion for the second reading of this Bill,
Colonel KNOX said he could conceive nothing so
preposterous as this scheme. It could never succeed,
inasmuch as its promoters could never hope
to compete with the existing companies. He doubted
much whether the allegations of the promoters, that the
supply of water in the metropolis was deficient, was
founded on truth, but even it there was, the existing
companies had ample means of suppling it.—(Hear,
hear.) But he suspected supplying the metropolis with
additional water -was not the real object of this Bill.
Ho had every reason to believe that the scheme
had been got up by solicitors and engineers, in the
hope that it would be spurchased from them
by the London and North-Western Company, who
were anxious to get an independent canal in opposition
to the canal used by the Great Western Company.—
(Hear, hear.) Ile should, therefore, move that it be
read a second time this day six months.
Mr. PALMER was also opposed to the Bill. He
said the Bill was opposed by three parties, who
would be materially injured if the provisions of
it were carried out, viz the landowners, whose
property would be interfered with ; the mill-
owners in the district, and the Commissioners whose
duty it was to preserve the navigation of the Thames.
He trusted that upon these grounds the House would
not agree to the second reading.
Sir DE LACY EVANS said the House would at
once concede that it was most desirable that the de-
nizens of this great metropolis should be provided with
a pure and cheap supply in was.. The report of
the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, which nue
been referred to in the course of this discussion,
stated that a large number of the inhabitants were not
supplied with pure water, and recommended that this
defect should be supplied. They would not have made
this statement if the existing companies supplied all the
water that was required. Why at present 60,000
houses were not supplied with water. It was but fair
to assume that each house was occupied by one family,
but he regretted to say that in many cases each room
contained a family. These parties were only supplied
by means of pumps, or once or twice a week from the
mains, which caused great confusion, and was a
most inadequate and imperfect mode of supplying water.
They had it, therefore, on record that the existing esm.
panics had totally failed to supply the requirements of
this large number of people. The object of the Bill was,
in the words of the Commissioners, to improve the supply
of water, and to give it in greater quantities and at a
cheaper rate to the poorer classes. Every one knew
that the mass of water taken from the Thames was from
the tidal portion of the river, which was most impure;
so impure that he had the authority of many eminent
scientific men for saying that it could not be purified by
the process of filtration. Parties having land
would of course receive that compensation which
the Committee might award. He trusted the
House would deem this a fair instance of
competition, and not allow obstacles to be thrown in
the way of the inhabitants of the metropolis being sup-
plied with pure and cheap water.—(Hear.)
Lord LINCOLN did not intend to express any
opinion either in support or in opposition, to the
Bill, he merely rose to state that the extract which the
Gallant Member had read was calculated, if taken alone,
to convey an erroneous impression. The report stated
that the system of supply ing water should be improved
and that there should be a more regular suppl.;-. Taken
by itselt that extract might be construed into an opinion
that the existing companies were to blame. Now, the
Commissioners wished to express no opinion oft the
matter.
Sir DE LACY EVANS thought that the Noble
Lord had not given to this matter his usual discretion.
ary consideration, but trusted that the remarks which
he had offered to the Heusi: would nevertheless bo in-
fluential in bringing the matter to a useful and sound
conclusion,
Sir W. CLAY said that the House would be careful
In such a matter as this not to listen to any misstate-
meats, and not pass any measure hastily in
which the want of water was concerned. The
Noble Lord had stated that there were 60,000