The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-07 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.

Sir Benjamin Hall, the Chief Commissioner of
Public 'Works, is far from satisfied with the dilatory
manner in which the members of the Metropolitan

Board of Works are discharging the duties of their
office. His dissatilaction seems to be fully justified
by the facts. The Metropolitan Board wastes weeks
and months in the finding of mares' nests and on
the decision of foolish squabbles, and at the twelfth
hour they rush to Sir Benjamin Hall's offices, and
require his immediate sanction for plans which they
have been discussing for an indefinite period. They
deal, in fact, with the Commissioner of Public
Works pretty much as the Commons are apt to do
with the Peers towards the close of a session. From
wet le
haveb eg i noniftnegn o
seen,
ef Februaryenthe
Peersuntil
aretheend of
left
wi
thou June,two as
and then, during die last week of the session, a pro-
fusion of bills is shovelled into the Upper House,
which must receive immediate sanction or undergo
immediate rejection. Discussion considerationand
are out of the question,timeafails,
o weN
,e
forr
anxious the Peers may be to proceed with the busi-
Frinieeerfasoesrirnle3a.
caihteseh
mayoct ,
mt tmul
eene
nntceheceme
Metropolitanspee aonsrtiyt
oi odf netlh aoeyf .13s
Siru.
Board
rB.
Nowe.
or
fHtuhanli.
vi is
Works
rstki,
the
present present moment, when we are beginning to feel the
first pilicl,es of the approaching winter, the elected
of the people bs ve been frittering away their time
in the idlest manner. Wewrecithhnaost
just
tabt
eewnepauret
prepared to make the largest allowance for the
shortcomings of machinery hi
into gear for the first time, we should be compelled
to pronounce the experiment a failure. We have
heard or read of little else than of recriminations
between the members, of conflicting theories, of
plans carelessly prepared and angrily discussed,
and, in short, of a practical comment upon the
canons of the great science of " how not to do it."
Such delay as there has been must be entirely re-
ferred to the Metropolitan Board of Works. They
have, however, hit upon a scheme at last for dis-
posing of our sewage, and, as most even of our
London readers must have been long since sickened
of attending to the discussions of their elected
vediles, we will iu two words say what it is. It is
proposed that the ()titian of the sewage shall be in
Halfway Reach, at a point of the Thames below
Erith. The points of discharge will be two and
a-half miles below the metropolitan area on the
south side, and three and a quarter on the north
side of the Thames. The calculation is, that by
the play of the tide the sewage may be brought
within a quarter of a mile of the metropolitan
boundary at the most unfavourable period of flux
and reflux. Besides this there are to be various
outfalls into the Thames between Vauxhall and
Deptford to carry off the surface storm water,
which may be looked for on 20 or 30 days through-
out the year. Such is the scheme which has
ultimately been marked by the approval of the
Metropolitan Board of Works. Its defect is in-
completeness, its merit economy. We are so
wearied out with delay that we would willingly
acquiesce in any arrangement which would free us
from our pollutions, so that it contains within
itself the germ of better things. If this project is
capable of extension, so that the fitting on of so
many more miles of pipe will at a future day
remove its sewage so far away from this huge
overgrown town that it can be productive of no
further mischief to the inhabitants ; or if, which
we rather hope, the formation of tanks at a safe
distance from London and the profitable employ-
ment of the sewage for agricultural purposes he
consistent with the scheme of the board, let us
adopl- the half-way measure at once, and carry it
out afterwards. The immediate recommendation
of the proposition is that tbcre is a difference of
expense of 2,000,0001. in favour of the outfall at
Halfway Reach as against the outfall at Sea Reach.
But to return to the dispute between Sir Benjamin
Hall and the Metropolitan Board of Works.
As soon as the sewage question was disposed of
at the meeting on Tuesday last between Sir Ben-
jamin Hall and the board, Mr. Marrable next
brought forward the plan for the Covent-garden
improvements. The Parliamentary notices must
be given on the 15th of the present month, so
that the interval between the 4th and 14th, a
period of ten days, is all that is left to the
Chief Commissioner of Public Works for con-
sideration of the subject. Even if he were to
give to it his undivided attention in so short a
period, there can be no time left for oitisultation
or reference. A dry negative or affirmative is all
that is left to Sir B. Hall. What renders the
matter more aggravating is, that in the beginning
of July he had forwarded his plans to Mr.
Thwaites and his colleagues, anct requested them
to undertake the works themselves, but, saving a
formal letter of acknowledgment, had heard
nothing more of the matter until the other day.
The next grievance is precisely similar in kind,
although involving a greater expenditure. It
arises out of the plans for the Southwark im-
provaments. Upon this point there seems to
have been sore feeling and jealousy, as well as
the dilatoriness which tainted the two former pro-
ceedings. There is to be a continuous street between
,gouthwark and Westminster bridges through
Stamford-street and the York-road. The expendi-
ture involved is estimated at 300,0001., or there-
abouts. The Metropolitan Board of Works have
not yet made a plan, and, when made, Mr. Thwaites
said, " The Board would certainly, as a matter of
courtesy, lay it before Sir B. Hall, but there was a
doubt whether it was requisite to do more than
give the Parliamentary notices, the sum being
above 50,00 C/." Sir B. Hall loftily retorted that
if such was their opinion they had better not send
their plans to him at 411 ; lie could only say he
thought they " were bound to do so under the
act." There remain but five days, and then the
Parliamentary notices must be given. The Metro-
politan deputies admitted the time was short,
which is true enough. Finally, Sir. Benjamin pro-
mised that if the plans were sent to him by Monday
next he would postpone all other business and at-
tend to them, " but lie must really request the
Metropolitan Board to let this be the last time they
would allow such delays to occur." Thus repri-
manded.the deputation withdrew.
and " wigged,:
o asrtdu
oliiiasvevebstereyn.
Sir Benjamin Hall floe time has just cause of
complaint. The Metropolitan B
conducting their affairs like a ten:TP
They have endeavoured to avoidpe:;ewc.eisri,oannaduhdarvee-
sponsibility by all means in their
at last thrown the Commissioner into serious diffi-
culties by their dilatoriness and disputes. We will
not say that there is not testiness and a little
harshness on this side ; but, even if this be so, it
constitutes no excuse for the shortcomings of the
Board. Mr. Thwaites and his colleagues have not
been placed in their present position for the pur-
pose of thwarting and vexing Sir Benjamin Hall.
The position of those two offices with respect to each
other involves a certain amount of rivalry and ill-
feeling, as a matter of course. We want some en-
gineering improvements made in our town, and we
elect a number of laymen to decide, under tke ad-
vice of an engineer, how the improvements shall be
carried out. The next step is to require our depu-
ties to submit their projects to another official per-
son, with an engineer of his own and an official
staff of his own. The deputies are thin-skinned,
the official person prone to find fault—for, if he does
not find fault, what is the use of him I—and so dis-
putes arise. Added to all this there is the inclination
common to all mankind to put off till to-morrow
the business which can be avoided to day. If the
Metropolitan Board require the Chief Commissioner
to decide the question of the London sewage in a
gallop, they themselves had decided it at a canter
after the absolute waste of half a year. We should
be sorry to see the principle of self-government as
to our metropolitan improvements imperilled by
any future carelessness on the part of our repro- '
sentatives. We do not anticipate much advantage
from their suggestions, for no doubt a competent
engineer would perform all the necessary work in
the time which they waste in talking about it. It
ion improvements.ought
tThe
principle s e
e.ahr
ee
however, a great matter that the inhabitants of
the metropolis should be brought to acquiesce easily
in the necessaryp-uc;h:tar rages n
principle of po charges and
dn
this result, and therefore we trust that it may stilt
teed in this instance.—.77»tes.

FASHIONABLE RIGGING.—A lady arrayed in the height
of existing fashion presents an interesting spectacle. Her
dress, piled tier above tier, renders her au example o!'
Beauty in tiers of muslin. This peculiar arrangement of
female costume affords facilities for the introduction of a.
new pattern, which would probably becotle
popular.
Each tier might be figured with the representation of:
the portholes of a man-et-war, carrying guns. Thus de,
enrated with the semblance of decks, the little " cra,f4;"
might sail down upon the spectator with striking. effel3t.
Li this nautical trim a young lady ought exitibib herself
at a fancy drsss ball in the character of the ,S'auc'y Are-
time— unless it may he obiected that to cc to" 'l.', !.,1k
Cockney phraseology, so strong as this, would I k nustur
able to the character of the weaker vessel.—pu ncii.
A. 11APTI3IIAL MISHAP.—To one of our subn. *hs.',.'_,,t_
vil-
lages, seven " blessed babies" were to have been 1,"`: °
cried on Saturday. In seven households christens ng
_ny
fes-
tivals were in preparation. Cakes were made—co. '"
'.l3ir *rest,
invited; but through some misunderstanding they .
ti bent,
who was to have supplied the place of the main S
___.
never came, and after the patience of the sevena 1 '"'"'
vere
blages were exhausted, the seven unblessed babeslo,,),
,_.
taken home, with heavy blessings on the clerical _)lea ',
tee. The " singing hinnies".and the tea were robbedßub
six
of flavour by the failure of the arrangement. L
Oft -.ne
of the innocents have since been christened. _ I,e
seventh no tidings have been heard ; and it may, li
. r
Tristram Shandy, have cause to rue for ever the blend e
which befell it on the threshold of lifs.—Gcreshead at ''
server. •