The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-07-20 00:00:00

HEALTH 'COMMITTEE.

From the proceedings of this committee it appeared
that the contractors of night soil wished to be released
from their contracts, but the committee declined to com-
ply with the request. It was directed that the water from
Green-lane works should be immediately used for the
Paul-street baths, and for all other purposes sanctioned
by the Act of Parliament. The proceedings contained
weekly reports from Dr. Duncan as to the health of the
town. On the 17th of June the medical officer reported
that so crowded was the town with the Irish poor, that
an entire family had taken up their dwelling in an old
boiler at the north end of the town. He also reported
that in January the deaths from fever were ten weekly,
but they had since risen to 155 weekly, an unprecedented
number for an English town. Amongst the deaths for
the past month were 100 English residents. Small-pox
had also been introduced by the influx of Irish, and of
this disease 200 had died since February last. On the
26th the doctor reported that the deaths from fever for
the fortnight preceding were 424, of which number 141
had had died in the hospitals, and 283 in the patients'
dwellings. It appeared that Mr. Chubb, one of the
deputy-registrars, had again refused to let Dr. Duncan
have access to the books, unless Is. was paid for each
death, or unless some arrangement was made by the
Council for compensating him. The claim was referred
to the Town-clerk, who reported that as the examination
could only be considered as a search," the registrars
were only entitled, under the Act, to one shilling for such
search. After this an interview was held with the regis-
trars, and they proposed to furnish the weekly returns
required by Dr. Duncan for £25 each per annum, or at
that rate for any shorter period. The committee con-
sidered that ss. for each return was sufficient remunera-
tion ; but the registrars having declined to make an ar-
rangement on these terms, it was ordered that the mea-
sures of the Council should be communicated to Govern-
ment, with the view of getting a clause inserted in the
Health of Towns' Bill, requiring the returns to be made
on such terms as might be deemed proper.—lt was re-
ported that Mr. Parker had been appointed Chairman of
the Baths and Wash-houses Sub-committee. At Freder-
ick-street baths 3827 persons had bathed during the past
month, and 2652 dozens of clothes had been washed.
The total receipts had been £5l 9s. sd. At Paul-street
8728 persons had bathed, and 4722 dozens of clothes had
been washed, and the receipts were £B9 4s. 4d. A re-
solution was passed recommending that a piece of land
in Gill-street should be purchased, for the purpose of
erecting baths and wash-houses immediately.—Mr. PAR-
KER regretted, for himself and the Baths Committee, that
no further progress had been made in the establishing of
baths.—Sir T. BRANCRER said the question of baths
generally had been referred to the Town-clerk, but in
consequence of his absence he had not been able to re-
port. The Finance Committee were as anxious as the
Health Committee to do do everything in their power for
the benefit of the town, but they were tied down by cer-
tain rules, and by these rules they must abide.

THE REPORTS OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER,

Mr. DANSON regretted that the reports which had been
read from Dr. Duncan should have been made public,
for however useful those reports might be for the Health
Committee, they would be calculated to create unneces-
sary alarm in the minds of the public.
Sir THOMAS BRANCKER confirmed what Mr. Danson
said. A great many innkeepers and shopkeepers were
suffering. .It was quite unnecessary to read these reports
in Council.

The TOWN-CLERK then read a report of the Financial
Sub-committee, relative to the claims for compensation
made by several parties who had been dismissed from the
offices which they held under the several boards of ma-
nagement of the out townships. The report recom-
mended that Mr. E. G. Deane, who held the office of
Clerk to the Commissioners of Paving, &c., should re-
ceive an annuity of £66 13s. 4d., to Mr. J. . Snowball,
who held the office of clerk to the commissioners of Tox-
teth-park £66 13s. 4d. per annum ; and to Mr. John
Longworth £4O 13s. 4d. a year.

Formal resolutions approving of the recommendations
of the Committee, and confirming the sums to be paid as
compensation, were then passed, and the Town-clerk was
directed to convey to each of the applicants the decision
of the Council.

THE SURVEYOR'S REPORT

The report of Mr. J. Newlands, the borough engineer,
was then read. This report, which was a lengthy docu-
ment, detailed several new plans for the better paving and
sewerage of the town, together with a statement of the
necessary staff of officers which would be required to carry
its recommendation into effect, was then read by the
Town Clerk; after which various members of the Council
expressed their views regarding it.
Mr. TINNE said the Council must not suppose that, in
approving of these plans, the expense was to be incurred
in a short time. For himself he was not so sanguine, and
if he saw the plans carried out thirty years hence he would
be satisfied.

Mr. THORNHILL.-Oh, you should never look to the
expense at all! You may depend upon it the expense will
be so enormous that it will make some of these large rate-
payers look around them in twelve months.

Mr. J. HOLME did not object to the expense, but he
thought some street ought to be chosen, and let all the
plans be carried out there.

Mr. EARLE hoped the committee would not listen to
the advice of any of the men who had formed the old
Highway Board. They were " highway men" in making
the people pay. (Laughter.) There was not a sewer in the
town properly constructed. There had been £136,000
spent since 1830 in sewering the town, and the work was
scarcely worth a farthing. One hundred miles of streets
required sewering, and only fifty-three had been done. In
Toxteth-park three miles of sewers had cost £9300.
Mr. PROCTER said the old Highway Board had got the
Green-lane Water-works for £60,000, or about the
amount the Council were paying for their new bill, which
would not be worth getting when all was done.
M. S. HOLME hoped nothing recriminatory would be
said. He admitted that things, so far, had not been very
well managed, for it was a very melancholy fact that many
sewers had dry bricks at the bottom, whilst others carried
water into the cellars instead of taking it away; but they
were now on the eve of improvement. Let them acknow-
ledge they had been in the wrong, but let them now join
heart and hand in making things better. If Mr. Thorn-
hill knew what he (Mr. Holme) did practically, he would
speak as he had done. Why, he was a hundred years
behind the age! (Laughter.) He held it to be the best
economy to do things well, and not to do them as the
Corporation usually did them—twice over.
Some further conversation then ensued as to the right
of the Town-clerk to subpoena any officer of the Cor-
poration which he might require for the furtherance of the
bills of the Council in Parliament ; after which the reports
and proceedings of the Gardens Committee and the Fer-
ries Committee were read and confirmed.