Mansion-House.
The Times, 1824-05-06T00:00:00

In consequebce of a request from the Lord Afayor, a meeting took place yesterday at the Mansion-house of the Deputies of the respec- tive wards in the city of London, to take into consideration the va- rious obstructions and nuisances in the public streets by the stop- pages of carriages, errand-carts, and trucks, to the great injury of trade, and to the danger and inconvenience of the puhlic. The LORD MAYOR stated, that he had devoted his utmost exer- tions to remedy these evils, and had succeeded, as far as depended upon the officers empsloyed at the hMansion.house, but that he found it impossible wholly to abate the nuisance, unless the various wards wouldappointproperand efficicnt officers and street-keepers. Ia most of the wards there were either no street-keepers, or they were shamefully negligent in their duty: besides the daily complaints he received, he was an eye-witness, and as he passed along, although he was purposely looking out for them, he hardly ever saw a strect.keeper, and particularly in those great tho-1 roughfares, Cheapside, Newgate-street, Ludgate.hill, Fleet-street, and Holborn: in Cornhill, and other parts, there had been more activity. There either were no street-keepers in those dis- tricts, or else they passed their time at the public-house instead of being on duty. He believed the powers given by the act, commonly called Mr. Taylor'sAct, and onemorerecently obtained by the Com- missioners of Sewers for the City of London, and which were quite sufficient, were but little known to the officers or the public, or else they would be more frequently enforced. He would, therefore, re- commend that the gentlemen present would in the first place call the common council of their different wards together, and appoint efficient officers, and see that they did their duty; and in the next place, that they would have extracts of the acts printed, and deli. vered to each officer, and at every house. Mlr. Deputy ROUT}E fully concurred in the existence of the evils, and in the hecessity of effectually removing them; but he was of opinion that the oflicers should be under the Commissioners of Sew- ers ; for if they were appointed by the p%rishes or wards, they would feel themselves under so much restraint with respect to some indi. viduals wlho had a share in their appointment, that they never would do their duty. ! ILr. Deputy REEVS concurred in the above opinion: the nui- sances were intolerable in this part of thecity, and the officers were I quite negligent of their duty. lVMr. Deputy PULLEW complained that some of the officers were deterred,as they were not supported by some of the magistrates; and mentioned a case where one had been put to great expense and fined for doinghis duty, owinyr to a technical objection in the information. Nr. Deputy DAw read extracts from the acts, clearly showing the power there conferred w,as quite suffiient. Those obstructions he witnessed hourly in his neighbourhood, and the officers never would do their duty; he therefore agreed that the appointment ought to be elsewhere. Wr. HOBBLER, the clerk to the juatlc~snruo at the Mansion- house, being called upon for his opiniort op the powers in the act, said they were fully adequate, and that the Lord Mayor bad given particular orders for their officers, xnd had fined in a great number of cases. The LoRD MAYOR said he should feel no difficulty if they were brought before him. After several other gentlemen had expressed their resdiness to concur in the adoption of some effiectul means, the Lord AMayor was requested to convene a meeting of the Commissioners of Sewvers on some day when it would be convenient for hin to pre- side, in order that measures founded upon the above suggestions migh t be adopted, which was assented to. MiAArSiOyATHOUSB.