The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-10 00:00:00

COtrill' OF SEW ERZ.-,,
A- special meeting of the Court of Sewers for the
City and Liberty of Westminster, and part of the County
of Middlesex, was held yesterday, at the Sewers-office, i
Greek-street; Soho, for the purpose of considering the 1
resolutions to be proposed by Mr. Leslie, with respect i
to the duties of the officers of the Court, and the whole
esYstetn of the collection of sewers'-rates. There was
loon. that !ii;, to.tlal nutulter of :_ortroissioners pros: lit,
and the suhj,ei, matter or the resolutions appeared to
create
eonsLerable interest. Among the number of
Commissioners we noticed Mr. Tufnell, M.P., and T. i
I'• Donaldson Esq the late Chairman.
Mr. WILLOIIGIIII.Y% who presided during part of the
eSitittog of the last Court, was unanimously called to the
%,uatr, upon taking which, at eleven o'clock, he stated
that the Court had beet. especially called for the purpose
of considering a series of resolutions (already forwarded)
to be proposed by Mr. Leslie, embracing the duties of
the office clerks, and the whole system of collection of
the sewers' rites, together with some resolutions, re-
BPeeting the duties of the clerks of the works. It
therefore became his duty to call upon Mr. Leslie to
preeeed with his resolutions, after the clerk had read the
orders of the Court on the subject.
Mr. HERSTLETT, the clerk, having read the previous
orders ,
or• tne Court,
„is Mr LESLIE slid it was now his duty to bring forward
twenty-seven resolutions for the consideration of the
Court, and in doing so he had been particularly careful to
arm himselfaith the authority of the Court, for the pur-
pe°3e of enabling him to make the proposition he was now
moot to bring forward. Under tte orders of the Court
the 11th of August, 1843, upon a previous notice of
111, ?tien made by him, he had been requested to draw up
e'er
belies of resolutions embracing the duties of the office
lewer '
Ka and the whole system of the collection of the
s rate and by a subsequent order of the Court on
the Ist r '
:noes
Include 0. Sept., 1843, liberty had been given to him to
. the duties of the clerks of the works in the reso-
he was now about to propose. He would not
bye the time of the Court by any preliminary
hisseererati°ns, but would content himslf with stating that
raise ocean n
bringing forward these resolutions was to
ecutive
. in Public estimation the whole character of the ex-
or W departments under the Commissioners of Sewers
to esttninster and part of the county of Middlesex
pubrhe the office more attractive and inviting to the
er c, thereby to facilitate great public and private im-
theovtinlent
in the drainage of the various districts under
-ranussio If next object was to abolish much
unnecessary 11.
is
raor --!•Y labour, and apply the time gained to the
mll2 effietent and vigilant superintendence, by the two
InivreYors and clerks of the works, of all public and
ae latate works in progress. His next object was to effect
of eharueiiate daily searching investigation into each item
rl asu
labo orge against the sewers' rate, instead of a protracted
e
ent relarterly one. To cause the accounts to be
of d;il !ly into the books of the Commission, instead
weekttYing such important works to a month or Six
one s after the expiration of every quarter. To cause
onYuniform system of daily entry of receipts and
ethents in books of the Commission, whereby, at
daiivriewt in an intelligible manner, might be shown the
dist,. receipts and payments from and on account of each
to,,rlet, To cause the treasurer's account to be so kept as
iteeseerree
Pone therewith, thereby to render unnecessary the
colt ut system private pass-bterks" between the
.ectors and the bankers, to explain the 15th of the
Iteises n
th .Ow called the banker's book. To place under
tnieseintire control and exclusive employment of the Com-
thes_e?n every officer holding an appointment under it ;
,s 2
nni to
economise and appronriai e labour as the pres-
to!! , business may require, and with which advantaFes
tifecluee the present 'charge to the public of collecting
tii;isiewers' rates at least sixty per cent. l'o effect ini-
ployrcle,Paytnents to the contractors and tradesmen
gain
th V the Commission, whereby the public will gain
to 0 advantages arising from cash payments. And
kw allse all moneys received daily by the clerks,eel-
and at
itlg -
the office Ti, be entered
eel-
1n
two books, and paid into the lonkers' daily.
that illlY-seven resolutions were intended to carry out
l'v%
each
ti, and all that he was anxious at that moment
oment to
knuw
resolutionasi whether he should be expected to t
bend separately, or to classify them under separate
use . The first and second resolutions would be of no
h trop a
e"nsiderable numb: r of the other resolutions
ou',l:ir,})p( stli were earried. Ile was of opinion that they
dometo combine the efforts of all these officers, at the
time heivieg each officer resporsible for his own
Could• Acting; upon this principle he tru,ted
tore ourt
4Postpone the considers titer of his two fir olit-
; ti eraroceed to the consideration of the third, which
tr
~ ind to give the Court a greater cheek and
allots over the surveyors' departments. If the Court would
best adept hint to adept his own course he tilt ught he should
ne_ consult their convenience by bringing under their
wnsideration first, his 3 i 4th. sth, 6th, 7th, and 25th
res,qutions : rst, ,,. ,
The re •
eino., emaIRMAN had hoped that the worthy Commis-
e,yrr would have consolidated his resolutions.
1417,- LESLIE said he had been frost anxious to do so,
Coe ne could not, according to the regulatiens of the
e.,.!!h rt- Ile was willing, however, now to do so, if it met
"T
~the approbation of the Court'
resolu-
tions LAURIE thought the consolidation of the was the best course that could be pursued.
ztneCseetneteer was afraid that the Court could not
consolidate them now, because the object of them was
materially to alter the bye-laws by which the Court was
governed.
brine Mr. A. teelsoN thought that the utmost license ought
given to the worthy Commissioner (Mr. Leslie) in
_)gg forward these resolutions. He thought he
filsl;lrd. ttexallowed to pursue his own course.
withdrawnil
‘. thought the first resolution ought to be
officers
altogether, considering it a slur upon all the
of the Court.
Air. LAURIE
moved that Mr. Leslie should have leave
to r‘o
t.' stpone his first and second resolutions, and proceed
with the others.
111 r. ALLASON seconded the motion.
Mr. DONALDSON, the late Chairman, had no objection
to the postponement of the resolutions ; but he trusted
the Hon. Commissioner, in adopting such a course,
Would not wish to establish a precedent.
Mr. LESLIE had no such wish 7. and if it was to be put
on that ground, he would repudiate it altogether. He
Stood upon his right as a Commissioner of that Court.
After some further discussion.
11r. LESLIE rose to propose his resolutions. The two
first having been postponed by the Court to a future oc-
etill;Sion, he would now proceed with those which he
th°ught bore upon the same point—those were the 3d,
ese_4th, the sth, the 6th, the 7th, and the 25th. The
able Commissioner then proceeded, at consider-
ilia? length' to show the necessity for adopting a very
, erent system of keeping the accounts of the Commis-
,tuters, for the purpose of showing that the present
e'stern Was not calculated to give to the Commissioners
et,litnpartial view of their affairs, and that unless some
butrerent system was adopted, the public could not be
enefited• The present system of keeping the accounts
audioe
Commission was confused and unintelligible,
aused an immensity of labour without any public
,enee6t. The lion Commissioner' said that the Court
Upon ihe accuravy of. its system of book-
t e;eido
..i ts, e I.e
sexe__ ter being by double entry, like all the Government
Wha':•,, But, continued he, is it a double-entry system ?
all
..,,euid the Court do at its last sitting? Why, it paid
pres'en officers' salaries to Cheistmas ! Each one having
W 01,1,11110 an ticeount for his salary, a stamped receipt
the tr 0 annexed thereto, in exchange for the cheque on
aft__
.?asurer. What would be the next step ? Why,
ha,",it.tise individual had received his salary, arid the clerk
,ss'ltetruf stamped receipt as the voucher, the double-entry
entered c()rnmenced, arid the whole salaries would be
I%tizurt. entered on the waste
would hen the cash-book ; a verbatim copy thereof
or bill-book, another
Which Copy would then be made in the journal ; after
and
credit,!enteen ledger accounts would be opened debtor
4,
Aor for each person's salar • But all this labour
of fro for
by the Court's order, was) taken after the..bills
tr.°,!teh man's salary
sea.%or the doubl was
..,.
Ze.nse labour, of no benefit try
paid ! Now, that was an illus-
system of that Court —im-
_ is s3.tern
..,
double-entry
'fit us a check upon error, because
4,eenonts i '2l tt t I entry only commenced after the
counts , tan actually been paid. The contractor's ac-
tioab, also followed the same plan as the salaries of
_,, le entry the
et meat
e,,, whole having been- paid before the entry
Court. ThauTenced in the double-entry system of the
°wing 1.,,T1"ti- Commissioner then proposed the fol-
. That .1.--, utions :
me Court ot
aa return for eaecra
llstem of
rlzZof the utmost importance to continue the present
;the
mutually exchanged by the officers of
arid the contractors, la ith the additions of
the et mediately
daily return, in district, and of a column in the contractors'
to be
of when must be specified the charge to the
b .r, . ach item, and the total. These daily returns
ur n the
e works and examined, signed by the officers (clerks of
illfeforthe wrg
e,' i surveyor or assistant surver and forthwith
b°oks end accounts of the Commission. That
/eYars and the clerks 'of the works be relieved from any
itilrell as the weeoeuirrilected with the preceding daily returns,
contraators' dail &t in
of
act,the and examin' abstracts,
first abstract, second ah-
quarterly accounts. That
aceaent h.
na clerks of y returns, as amended, be the only
the 8 —to yen the Court and the contractors. That
,_ . contractors' daily returns, verified by the surveyor
.!_aeli district as towshrokws, shall be so_entered daily in books for
alubcialt itY and the cost, therebywatworks
tto ern of weekly andquarterly are done, the particular
_ -surveors and clerks rendering unnecessary the present
abstracts end accounts. That
4 great amountof ttreat, as they of the works being thus relieved from
labour, th „___ will be enaledetoaddveavnott
advantage to
utochthmeopreubtliimcewtiollthbee
rsoual and vigilant superintendence
of-labour notwithstanding r the present system—and their
hhoaunn the and
can possibly do nudee of
the
works
in
progress,
.._,5 g examination then took
ess.i tent surveyor,
le lon be materially diminished.
place of Mr.Doull, the
I • h ended in an expression of
c'eitl)inioin that th rowpoliscitions of Mr. Leslie could be
ea,;:
ut.
Air, 1), .
b • yin carrying
difficultlJLL distinctly stated that there would be no
tiou.
co_cs_Aesns.soet,
avins. aout Mr. Leslie's proposition of
a: daily account made out of the works in progress.
„ Mr, D
,while he approved of some of the
many
°flit
liem loner s resolutions, felt bound to oppose
Mr. I, al'
„,, Sortie disc h,
n proposed, for the adoption of the
Court, 3d,hi:BlE
4,11, sth, 6th, 7th, and 25th resolutions.
took place upon them, in which Mr.
j),, ,11ZitscZasjooinfed, and moved, as an amendment—
Present the utmost importance to continue the
sYstene 0
the
ta"rs of of
returns, mutually exchanged by
qoarcitities squarsa . d b ,
returns kin le Court and the contractors, separate
g made out for each district, the measured
M. HARI _ 411 a a:I-acted."
kr.
LEslzouN seconded the arneodruent.
amineresolution whigch the "
Zt with the
emphatically upon the Court to
re the amendmeht to his
Posed; it was neither
Ifery essence of the whole, and
the late chairman had just pro-
more nor less than striking :.gut the
quire
~_ amendment, (declaremaking the Court, if lie
curried his a
the contractor to delivern tthhoeteci)stt ‘,l,'FOLleladeitliodtaryes-,
‘rti3')tclik,s,ti%vvwliiictilotuhtediriflicheitelift su •veyor had just stated could
irrA.......!:rE5(1',.?:: who obtained 3:. a hearing after a long and
atoo7l`la_ , 14(41s-14,n upon ihe right to told t_untot. said that their survey speak to the
or, Alr. oey, had
~,a• to
effect without
his plan of daily accounts could be carried
',yet without difficulty; and it should be recollected