The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-11-30 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY,- AI
• •.., 8,

, . ...--
:S44PPANO9N ASJ) • itivinOckTEß-.
• WORKS' COMPANIES.
• .
• -
The following is the Report read by Mr. May, et
the Meeting:pethe City_ of Loudon Tavern, on
Friday :
THE REPORT.
The Committee appointed to collect facts relating to
the present Monopoly of Water, and to consider
of provision being made for the better Supply of
Water to the Eastern Districts of the Metropolis,
and to report the same, with their Observations,
to the Public; have, penman, to be tile Resolu.
' Lion of the Public Meeting, considered the matter
'to them referred, and unanimously agreed to the
fallowing Report :
Your Committee, deeply impressed with the emit
kgportance of the subject matter referred to their con.
leideralion, have !Init.'sa time in obtaining she neees-
!Nary information', end hers applied themselves most.
'diligently, and with great Permitter's, to the per.
'romance of the duty imposed on them by the Public.
. In the detail of evidence supporting the
Lions herein set forth, a few important cases only.
have been selected. Since they found it impossible to
insert all the evidence u hich they obtaitiod, viitboot
swelling this Report into a bulky volume; and be.
cause they considered the remaining evidence would.
be employed to better solvatitage before the great Iris
burial of the nation, to which they ultimately recast.
mend this investigation. And further, it was found
Air" expedient to treat this subject more in a ge.
!worst way, than dippiug deeply into the minute detail.
4 your Committee, on • consideration of the sub
•
pet generally, were led to palatint the. nature and.
ffinisions, of the Charters or Acta of Parliament.
:establishing the New River and Emit London Water.
work Compauies, iStc. and are decidedly of opinions
that before the Public can onssiblt receive any re.
.dress of the present. alarming. evil, they so:justly
complain of Nurse Aces of Parliament must undergo
an entire revision, some important classes introdetel
ed, and otherwise generally amemied.

Your Comnsittee, in investigating this subject,
have arranged their enquiries under Use following
bends : •

First.—The Acts of-Parliament establishing these
Cnmpanies.
Secondly.—The combination formed between thein.
Thirdly.—The monopoly establighed•by this cola.

loiirthlys—The remedy which voter Onnivaitti.
considered it _as part of their duty to recommend tit
the Publics.
With respect to the Acts of Parham. nt, tour Coma
mittee consider them singular., inadequate to the
petpmips to which they were iisteus!etl, utile'+ it he
admitted that public interests are .e be sacrificed so
the interests of a few. it has been considered, there.
tore, that whilst every pohsible s.,curity and pro.
teatiun should be given to the property of the Cons
patties, sod Lull powers ;igen them to enforce, in a
..ommary way, the just debts duo to them. st is, on
the other hand, of indispensable necessity the public
should be protected against all arbitrary and vets.
sinus proceedings, and that the Companies should be
ompellod to give an ample and good supply of water
to those places and inhabitants which they have
agreed to serve.

Your Committee assn consider the present Ad(' of
Parliament defective, inasmuch as every stipulation
nn the part of the Companies is optional, and on the
part of the Public. eninput.ore.
Lit the first place—To all those places recited in
the first audsecouti Acts of the East London Water.
work Company as staled to ba very inadequately
supplied with water, and for the exi.ress purpose of
riving a better supply these Acts were obtained, it
should be compulsory, end not, as at present, op.
tional on the part of the Company to give a good and
sufficient supply.
Itt the second place—The Companies should not
have the option of filling their mains during the night,
hut it should be imperative on the part of the Com-
panies to keep their mains so filled, and ready to
give a :efficient supply hi cased fire duriag the night.
Its the third place—That the Companies should have
the power to distress for delit and to cut off the supply
of water et the same time, appears extraordinary
and estra-jedicial. Your Committee, in common
justice, e.itosider the debt contracted by the intim.
bitant should be levied upon him only ; and the Com-
panies should no longer possess the alarming power
of charging the same ippon the landlord.
It vppears to yoei Committee, that as it is the con-
stant and invariable practice of the New River and
Esst London Water.work Companies in all COW
where arrears of water cfnreges accrue, to cot off the
supply ; neglecting to aeHect this charge, or eoforte
the payment by distress, and refusing to renew the
supply unless the arrears be paid, they therehy create
an illegal and unjultifiable imposition, amounting in
effect, to the levying a rate upon the land without
consent of Parliament. Such a method pursued by
these Companies is singolarly oppressive, since it ias.
pose, a heavy expence upon the landlord, after pay-
ing these arrears, by obliging him to relay no the
water at his own cost. And your Committee cannot
imagine it would be considered peculiarly hard upon
these Companies, to suffer losses naterally.locidental
to all commercial and trading concerns.
_ _

In _the /nerds pl ace---Tbe present Acts of Parlia-
ment gives a* redress to the Public for the arbitrary
and veastious conduct of these Companies, in dilapi-
dating and laying waste the leaden pipes belonging
it:, -the inhabitants. A complaint which your Corn-
tnitteecannot but consider as worthyattentiou, and

requirins Ise inaniediant regoedy.--{Vide Appendix
•
Neh 4.}

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