The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-17

teen years, and tue total OF It's actual debt u At
this moment more than ten millions sterling. But
IL Is only lair to at once state that the Board ~
lending institution. by several acts OF Parliament
IL Is empowered-that Is, communicable lend
money 10 the Metropolitan District Asylum Boa I'd
and otner metropolitan bodies. and it mas done
to the extent of about million and a half After
tins deduction we ma the Indebtedness OF the
Board OF Works on us own account TO amount 10
close upon nine millions. Tne security IL has
gwen to the lenders Tor this sum is It's rating
powers on property valued at more than twenty
and half millions. and the annual interest il
pays on the debt is between three ana four nun
dred thousand pounds sterling the relation which
the interest bears to the rateaole value securing
sterling. But as against this indebredness OF
the Board 1t has surplus lands and otner property
valued at something more than million aud
quarter, SO that Its net Indebtedness Is between
seven and eight millions. The estimate OF xpend-
against winch the Board would have a reaIlzed
income OF nearly 100000 exclusive rates. Con-
sequently 1t has been obliged TO raise by rates .
sum oil little over E3100O0 sterling. One item OF
realized income for 1874 Is worthy OF remark. It
is million and quarter dollars derived from the
coal and wine duties, payable In the metropolis.
The former is II duty OF thirteen pence on every
ton OF coal brought Into the METROPOLIS, ana The
latter is duty OF TOUR shillings all sorts
OF wine entering the city. THIS latter duty Is I'M
posed under the provisions OF an old act OF Par
lament 'ior the relief of orphans and other creol-
The proceeds OF botn imposts were formerly paid
into the treasury OF the London corporation.
Those duties were to have expired In 1862: but
when the embanking OF the Thames was resolved
upon Parliament determined that this magnin.
wine duties. Accordingly, II passed an act pro-
vidlng for the renewal OF both Tor further period
OF the thirteen pence on coal and the whole OF The
four shillings per tun on VINE should be handed
over to the Metropolitan Board oil Works. Ia THIS
way the metropolis has been repaying the sun
borrowed Tor embankiDg the Thames. Four pence
OF the coal duty were lett in the hands oil the cor
poratlon Tor city improvements
THE FACILITY OF RAISING LARGE SUNS
on the coal and WINE duties has proved as ire
Works as that Afforded by the income tax was to
successive Cnanceors OF the Imperial Exchequer.
been relmposed for yet another and yet another
period OF years the last OF these acts Keeps both
iuli veor Till 1889, and 1t was only the other day
the Metropolitan Board proposed to have them
still further extended by fresh enactment.
STREETS AND BUILDINGS INsPEcToRsnIP.
In respect to the supervision oil stree and build
ings the Board has mad very extensive powers
conferred uponit by Parliament from time to time.
In London must have felt the inconvenience re-
suting from so many different streets bearing the
don IS between thirty and forty. ana the Queen
streets and Castle streets and John streets
nearly as numerous. Again, you will flnd va
r0uS lists OF the same line OF road that bearing
various applications. This house on q road Is No.
i or No. 2 OF such and such q terrace.
l or OF such and such parade and on.
To the Metropolitan Board of Works is committed
the task OF bringing about something like SIM
plici:y IN street nomenclature. and since IL came
into existence 1t has abolished between 900 and
5000 subsidiary names OF streets, new named be.
tween 1900 and 5000 streets and REMEMBERED
about 10000 houses. The sanction OF the Board
Is necessary to the erection OF any building be-
yOnd the general line Of street frontage. During
the year 1873 it received $50 applications for
sent to erect such buildings, and or these It
granted only Isl. Its consent Is necessary also In
case of the construction OF portico., verandas
and balconies. During 1878 1t received 81 applica-
lions IN respect OF such structures and refused Is
OF them. In the same year 1t anciloned 81
disailowed a. the Street WORKS IL; IN that
or IN part. OF no lever than 100 streets. Dur
ing the same year the Board received informa-
lions complaining OF dangerous structures in as
many as IT, 71 cases. After an investigation by its
own surveyors 1t decided that as many as 1902
structures were dan serous ana took step accord
ingly Tor their repair or demolition.
THE AUTHORITY ALMOST UNIVERSAL
From the foregoing statistics 1t Will be seen that
independently OF their great undertakings-suCh
as the main drainage, the Thames EmDankment
and the construction OF new main thorougniaIes-
in respect of the whole o1 the metropolis outside
the limited area OF the Lord Mayors Jurisdiction.
% the Of as Pa
tropolis outside the city; those which are partly
me5ropoliton and in part purely parocnia are
sIcalar parish BENEFITED y.ts'd y ne improve:
by the parish at Its own cost. But there Is
one other junction discharged by the Metropolitan
invested with the entire Charge Of the splendid
Fire Brigade which does duty for the entire
mesropois the Guy hc;uded Ten years ago 55is
as It tnen existed. was maintained by the lnsur-
ance companies; but by an act OF Parliament
years OF the reign of her present Majesty, the
plant and property OF the brigade were trans
Ierred to the Metropolitan Board. The expense OF
carrying out the ac which imposes tue Board
tue duty of extlngulshing fire and protecting life
and property IN case OF fire In the metropolis, IS
met, partly by contributions from the imperial
government and the fire insurance companies,
and partly by rate OF a hallpenny on the pound
THE FIRE BRIGADE.
There are now 80 stations OF the brigade In Lon.
steam floating engines are moOred In cOnnec-
ZION with these stations winch are all in commune
cation with each other by means OF the electric
telegraph, there are 53 telegraph lines and S.
miles OF telegraph, iron floating barge to carry
land steam ire engine, large land steam fire en-
manual fire engines 90 G-lnch manual fire engines,
IL under 6-inch manual fire engines, and 1896 fire.
men me Ihere are 100 ire escape stations and l25
lire escapes. The number OF hremen employed ON
tue several watches kept up during the day Is 90;
the number at night Is ISL, SO that 271 are en-
ployed on watch duty in every twenty-lOur hours.
me number sick, injured, on leave or under in
strucuon is usually between 40 and So The
remaining men are available for gene
raj WORK at fires. During 1873 the calls
made.On tine brigade for turn out Of en-
Qines were as many as l. 7O3. Ol Lnese So proved
TO be lase alarms and " were alarms OF chimney
fires O HreS other than chimney fires there were
1,54s. OF which los resulted IN serious damage and
was lost and IN "A Oh them lie was seriously en-
dangered. The NUMBER OF lives actually 1856 was
buildings before death, but subsequently sue
cumbeu in hospitals or elsewhere. The total num-
Der OF calls lor CHIMNEY fires, and in which no
alarm OF general nre had been rased was 3,602
In these cases there was attendance OF en-
glnes. but only Of fremen with hand pumps. The
quantity OF water used Tor eXtlngusning fires In
TIE metropolis during the year 1879 was about
81, 900 gallons, or 10000 tons. The working
accounts Tor the year snow the expenditure OF
the brigade TO have been nearly $37O0O0. OF this
between $lSO0O0 and SlS5.O0o went III salaries and
wages, and nearly $4,000 for mems clothing;
under $4,000 for payments to medical
officers and about $3.50 IN pensions late officers
and to widows.
GREAT WORKS.
SO much LOT the governments OF London by the
corporation oil the city, the Metropolitan Board OF
Works and the yes ries. The great works OF the
HoiD0rn Nladuct. the dead meat market the con-
structon OF Cannon street ana tue widening OF
several OF the city tnorougnlares have been exc
cuted by the corporation, all Of them being within
the Lord Mayors jurisdiction. There are other
bodies, such as the Local Cove BOard-a de-
partmept OF the imperial government; the AsylumS
nominated by the imperial govern
ment and partly elected by the Boards OF Guardians
OF the poor; the Boards OF Guardians themselves,
elected by the ratepayers; all OIL winch bodies
I. We ~