The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-10 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.

A meeting of the board was held yesterday in the
Council Chamber, Guildhall; Mr. Thwaites in the chair.
The minutes of the last board were read and confirmed.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

The Finance Committee made a report of the follow-
ing as the weekly cash account of the board :
Balance in hands of treasurer, Jan. 6, 1857 £5,920 11 1
Checks drawn, but not presented

Available balance
Amount of deposit account,

5,055 17 11
80,000 0 0

Total general balance £85,055 17 111
A letter was read from Mr. H. Burslem, resigning his
seat as member of the board for the parish of Paddington.
PARS FOR THE SOUTH-EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE
METROPOLIS.
Mn DREW presented a memorial from the parishes
of Bermondsey, St. George the Martyr (Southwark), St.
Olave's,!and Rotherhithe, in reference to the formation of
a park for the south-eastern portions of the metropolis.
A deputation from the parishes was then introduced.
Dr. CHALLICE (on behalf of the deputation) said he
was anxious to address a few words on the subject of
the memorial, because the inhabitants of Southwark felt
that their claims had not been so favourably regarded as
hose of other districts bad been. The population of
Southwark and the adjoining parishes, which would par-
ticipate in the benefits of the proposed park, was, by the
last return of the Board of Health (which, although not an
official document, was one that might be relied on), about
250,000. That was a very dense population. He held
in his hand an official map, published by the Board of
Health, showing the area which suffered from the visita-
tion of the cholera.
The CHAIRMAN.—It is called, I believe, the " cholera
map
Dr. CHALLICE.—Yes ; and it was a most instructive
map. Now, he apprehended it was in the power of the
board to take measures which would prevent the recur-
rence of that epidemic disease. The map pointed out the
spots where the cholera raged with the greatest virulence.
The locality was still very bad, but it was now much
better than formerly. In order, however, that it should
not again become the seat of that terrible scourge it was
the duty of the board to obtain open spaces, where prac-
ticable, that purer air might be enjoyed by the inhali:
tants. There was at present available for that purpose
a censiderable portion of land which was at present
occupied and used as market gardens, only without any
buildings being erected thereon. It was situated on the
north of the main Kent-road, and was about 100 acres
in extent. It :formed a portion of the lowest part of
London, and if not secured for the purposes of a park
would, no doubt, be soon covered with houses of an
inferior description. Its situation was analogous to that
of St. James's Park ; and he would ask the board what
would be the condition of that part of Westminster if
St. James's Park, instead of being left open, were co-
vered with small houses, occupied by a dense population
of the poorest class ? He considered this to be a ques-
tion which required no discussion, nor admitted of any
delay. The memorial contained the signatures of be-
tween 1,100 and 1,200 persons, including those of the
principal merchants, bankers, and traders residing in
that portion of the metropolis. He thought the memo-
rialists had a most especial claim on the representatives
of the city in that Board, because the larger portion
of Southwark consisted of men who worked in the
city and who went over to Southwark to reside.
It was a fact that all the improvements going
on in the city of London, by the formation of new
streets, and the necessary pulling down of a smaller
description of buildings, had the effect of driving a large
number of people over to the other side of the water,
thereby rendering the population still more crowded.
The Board would pardon him for urging immediate steps
to be taken in this matter, for if the land now available
were not secured and made a lung, as it were, to South-
wark, it would be impossible to tell what the conse-
quences might be some eight or ten years hence. The
Board was in the position of a General whom this enemy
had once taken by surprise, and who was liable at any
time to the renewal of a similar attack. If they now
failed to take the necessary means to keep off the epi-
demic disease, the responsibility would fall, and justly
fall, on them alone. (Hear.) As an argument against
delay be would state that the ground which it was desir-
able to obtain was becoming more valuable every dey,
and would no doubt be made the site of new and of
still more crowded buildings. A very important report
had been published by the medical officer of the parish
of St. George, showing how much greater was the in-
crease of the cholera in places where there was a dense
population than in the more thinly inhabited localities.
The importance, however, of securing open spaces, not
only for the district of Southwark, but for the metro-
polis at large, could not for a moment be disputed. The
mernorialista, however, claimed not to be excln;ively
taxed for this work. (Hear.) They considered them-
selves to be only a part of the wle ale of the metropolis,
and ought not to pay more than a fair proportion of the
expense. They had waited patiently and qeletly in the
expectation that the Bard would of themselves take the
initiative in such a matter—naturally supposing that
their own instincts would have pointed out to them that
the vacant space to which the memorialists referred
ought to be made available for so important a purpose as
the promotion and preservation of the health of the people.
With regard to the extent of ground to be converted into
a- park, he understood that the acreage calculated for
other localities was one acre for every 1,008 inhabitants;
that would require for the population cif Southwark 250
acres. They did not, however, ask ,for any such space,
but would be content with much less. He would, in c ,n-
-elusion, point out to the B )ard that the ground which
the memorialists were anxious to obtain was situate in
that part of the metropolis which was suffering more than
any other in consequence of a Rant of drainage; if there-
fore the ground should be allowed ta-be covered with
housee that evil would be greatly increased.
The CHAIRMAN said the whole question of forming
parks for the inhabitants of the metropolis was already
before the Board, and had been referred to a committee,
who would make their report on Friday next. The
Board felt the importance of the question, and the depu-
tation might be assured that due attention would be paid
to the subject of their memorial.
On the motion of Mr. DREW, seconded by Mr. OFFOR,
the memorial was referred to the Committee of Works
and Improvements.
11031TENSATION TOR LOSS OF OVPICIL
The Board was occupied the greater portion of the
day in considering the decisions of various vestries awl
district boards with respect to claims of compensation
for loss of office in consequence of the passing of the
Metropolitan Local Management Act.
The number of appeals and claims dispcsed of yester-
day were 23, the parties appealing and claiming being
clerks, collectors, surveyors, inspectors, messengers,
street-keepers, and gulley-shout cleaners. The amount
of the sums awarded and appealed against varied from
371. 10s. per annum for 1 fe to 51. per annum for 5 years.
The effect of the appeal in the case of the 371. 10s. an-
nuity was to raise the compensation to 501. a-year. Tee
general rules laid down by the board are that half the
amount of salary shall be granted for life to persons
above 60 years of age and who have served 10 years and
upwards ; to persons 50 years of age and 10 years' ser•
vice a quarter of the amount of salary ; and to persons
under 50 years, having served 10 years, a quarter of the
amount of salary for 10 years ; and those who have
served less than 10 years, a quarter of the amount of
salary to be paid for the same number of years as they
xnay have served.

The reports of the engineer and superintending archi
tect were then received.

• OXFORD-STREET.
An application from the vestry of the parish of St.
Marylebone, that the whole of Oxford-street may be
placed under the exclusive management of that vestry,
was heard at some length.
It appears that the boundary line between St. Mary-
lebone on the north, and St. James's, St. George's,
Hanover-square, and St. Ann's, Soho, on the south,
passes down the centre of Oxford-streer, and that the
duties of paving, lighting, and cleansing have for a
great number of years been discharged by the vestry of
St. Marylebone, the other parishes contributing towards
the expense. This was 9n application from an order of
the Board to continue and sanction that arrangement ;
but an objection was raised by Mr. Lewis, the vestry
clerk of St Ann's, who said that the boundary of
Ann's was not conterminous with St. Marylebone, but
that a space of ground intervened belonging to the I
parish of Sr. Martin's-in-the-fields, of which parish St
Ann's formed a part until it wa4 erected into a distinct
parish by a statute of Charles 11.
The question being o,e of some difficulty, the consi•
deration of it was postponed for a month, due notice
thereof to be in the meantime given to the authorities (1
St. Martin's-in-the-Fields.

NOTICES OF MOTION.
Mr. How, gave notice of a motion that the Committee
on Sites of Offices he forthwith dis,,olved.
Mr. D'IFFANGRIt gave notice that on the bringing up
of the report on the street nomenclature he should move
that the portion of the New-road between Edgware-road
and Osnaburg-street be called Mar)lehone-road ; that
the portion between Osnabrirg-street and Tottenham-
court-road be called Pancras-road west, the portion be-
tween Tottenham-court-road and King's-cross be called
Pancras-road ea.t, and the portion between King's-cross
and the Angel Inn at Islington be called Pentonville-
road, and that all the separate names at present existing
it herein be aboli,hed.

That in the several portions of the New-road and in
all streets hereafter constructed or renamed the number.
ing he consecutive throughout, o
commencing at the en
nearest St. Paul's Cathedral, with the odd numbers en
the left hand, and the even numbers on the right.
The Board then adjourned.