The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-02-25 00:00:00

WEDNESDAY

The adjourned meeting was held on Wednesday, at eleven
o'clock.
HEALTH OF THE TOWN AND BUILDINGS' REGULATION BILL.

Mr. GLADSTONE said the subject had occupied the at-
tention of the council previously to Lord Normanby's bill
being introduced. Its great recommendation was, that it
would exempt Liverpool from the operation of Lord Nor-
manby's act, which would be a second time on the preceding
day.

Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE said the subject had occupied the
serious attention of the Finance Committee, and Mr. Birkett
was now in London doing all he could on their behalf. ' It
was generally known that Lord Normanby's bill would prove
exceedingly objectionable if it came into operation in Liver-
pool, and this bill would save them from such inconvenience.
It was agreed that the Town-clerk should state the oper-
ation of each clause to the council.

The TOWN-CLERK set forth the preamble. The first
clause repeals Acts 3rd Vic. The second gives power to ap-
point a committee, the third to appoint surveyors, &c. The
fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth clauses make
certain judicious regulations for the erection of houses, re-
ferring principally to small tenements, with a view to the
health of the town. The following are the tenth and eleventh
clause :-10. That it shall not be lawful to let separately, ex-
cept as a warehouse or storehouse, or to suffer to be occu-
pied as a dwelling-place, any cellar, under any house, in
any court. 11.—That from and after the lst day of
July, 1844, it shall not be lawful to let separately, ex-
cept as a warehouse or storehouse, or to suffer to be occupied
as a dwelling-place, any cellar or room under any other
house whatsoever, which cellar or room shall be less in
height, from the floor to the ceiling, than seven feet, or
which shall be less than one-third of its height above the
level of the street adjoining the same, or otherwise shall not
have two feet at least of its height from the floor to the ceil-
ing above the said level, with an open area of two feet wide
from the level of the floor of such cellar or room up to the
level of the said street, or which shall not have attached
thereto the use of a privy and an ashpit, according to the
enactment herein contained, or which shall not also have a
window of not less than three feet square, or otherwise of an
area of not less than nine feet clear of the sash frame, and a
fire-place with a chimney or flue, or being an inner or back
cellar, let or occupied along with a front cellar as part of the
same letting or occupation, shall not have a ventilating
chimney, unless such inner or back cellar shall be a part of a
house built before the commencement of this act.

Clauses 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 contain certain
sanatory regulations. Clause 20 gives power to the authori-
ties to compel the cleansing of houses, which, by reason of
their filthy -condition, are deemed detrimental to the health
of the inhabitants. Clause 21 gives power to enforce the
provisions of the act. Clause 22 gives power to make cer-
tain by-laws and regulations for enforcing cleanliness.
Clause 26 enacts that, after the Ist of April 1843, no inter-
ment shall take place in any burial-ground, unless, on the
Ist of January 1843, there were two feet six inches of soil
remaining below. the ordinary surface of the burial-ground,
clear of every part of any coffin theretofore interred in such
grave.-27. Power for council to appoint inspectors of graves.
—2B. Inspectors to make a declaration.-29. Compensation
of inspecEors.-30. Inspectors to enter upon burial-grounds
to be open for inspection
and examine graves, ascertain clear soil, and report to the
Health Committee.-31. Report
and perusal, and copies to be furnished, and notice of the
report and of the burial-grounds to which it relates to be
published once in two of the Liverpool newspapers, one
calendar month before the day to be appointed, as herein_
after mentioned.-32. Day to be appointed by the commit

tei, after which no interment shall be made In any grave so
reported to them as not having, on the Ist day of January
1843, two feet six inches of soil remaining below the ordinary
surface.of the burial-ground, clear of every part of any coffin
theretofore interred in such grave ; and one calendar month's
notice of such day so appointed by them to be published once
in each of two of the Liverpool newspapers.-33. That, from
and after the day so appointed, no coffin shall be interred in
any such grave so reported not to have had, on the Ist day
of January 1843, two feet six inches of soil remaining below
the surface of the burial-ground, clear of every part of any
coffin theretofore interred in such grave. Penalty not ex-
ceeding £lO.-34. That, from and after the same day so to
be appointed for the purpose aforesaid, no coffin shall be
interred in any grave in any burial-ground within the bo-
rough, though not so reported as aforesaid, which shall not
leave two feet of soil remaining below the ordinary surface
of such burial-ground, clear of every part of the coffin so to
be interred in such grave. Penalty if knowingly permitted,
not exceeding £lO.

Mr. EVAN; said the prohibition was of a most indefinite
character. In a certain time the bodies interred would be
entirely decomposed. Was it intended to deprive individu-
als of. their property altogether in their graves, because there
happened, on the Ist of January next, to be only a certain
depth of soil above the coffins ? Mr. Evans proposed that
whenever a grave was found to be filled within two feet six
inches of the surface it should remain closed for a certain
number of years—say fifteen or twenty.

A very long discussion ensued, in "the course of which it
was stated by the Town-clerk, that the clauses were framed
by an arrangement and understanding by the Hector, who
was perfectly willing to have it carried into effect. The
Town-clerk also explained that the effect of the clause would
be that those graves which had not two feet six inches of
soil above them on the Ist of January would remain for ever
closed. Mr. Evans and Mr. Aikin strongly objected to this.
Mr. Evans was supported by Mr. John Smith, Mr. Cooper,
and Mr. Bright.
Mr. Anctx proposed that words be inserted to make the
clause enact, that no grave should be opened unless there
were two feet six inches of soil above the surface. This
would give individuals an opportunity to open their graves
again when the bodies were decomposed, or when those be-
low were so far decomposed as to allow those above to sub-
side.

This proposition was opposed by several members. At
length the conncil went to the vote on Mr. Aikin's amend-
ment, when there appeared—
For the Amendment.—Messrs. Shaw, Shand, Isaac
Holmes, Thornhill, Copeland, Mellor, Bolton, Aikin, Rae,
Bright, Robinson, Wood, J. Smith, Platt, Evans, Bramley-
Moore, Molyneux, and the Mayor.

Against the Amendment.—Messrs. D. Hodgson, Blundell,
H. Holmes, J. Holmes, Yates, Cooper, Gladstone, Kilshaw,
Parker, G. H. Lawrence, Mather, Freme, Houghton, (alder-
man) and Nicol.