Report to the General Board of Health on a supplemental inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the township of Bilston, situated within the municipal borough and union of Wolverhampton, in the county of Stafford / by Robert Rawlinson, Superintending Inspector.

  • Rawlinson, Robert, 1810-1898.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the General Board of Health on a supplemental inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the township of Bilston, situated within the municipal borough and union of Wolverhampton, in the county of Stafford / by Robert Rawlinson, Superintending Inspector. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to deal were such, that the General Board of Health would not be able overcome them. There was an ironwork on the brook with which tl could not deal, because the Public Health Act distinctly said that tl should not interfere with any watercourse, stream, mills, mines, or mac nery, or the proprietors or undertakers of any navigation. Now, no on of the Board of Health, under any Act of iParliament, would reach tl case. With the consent of the parties interested, all the requisite pow.. could be granted at once. It is only to meet and overcome opji] sition that a private Act can be required. Mr. Best observed, with respect to the turnpike-road.s— that if the gates were removed, poor tradesmen in the town, who did keep a horse or cart, would have to pay rates towards the repair of streets in the town, from which at present they were exempt. He shoo have no objection to give up the gates inside the town, if the expense? repairing- these roads did not fall upon the poor inhabitants. He was cidedly averse to a local Act. In the first place, it would be a monstr expense to the town; and in the next, they would be more efBciei eoverned under the Public Health Act than nnder a local Act. But slic a local Board be established, he (Mr. Best), as representmg the trusti^ said in reply to Mr. Dimmack, that he would not object to turn ovee the local Board the whole control and power over the streets and turnpiii roads in the town, and an equitable portion of the tolls received for maintenance of them. The Rev. J\ B. Owen said— As a trustee, he felt a great deal of pleasure in sayins; that he slu; certainly support Mr. Best's proposition ; for, looking at the filthy condi., of the streets, they must be perfectly ashamed to meet a stranger in:i town There was not a person that could keep a pan- of boots m a de. statefor five minutes in passing along the streets. That was what the tt got from three turnpike-gates. Mr. M. Frost, surveyor, in reply to a question, said— that the trustees, not residing in the town, objected to sweep the sir: as the Act did not require them to do so; that their duty was only to m and scrape them. The Rev. J. B. Owen:— Then, according to the evidence of our own surveyor, we being scras . and not sweepers, there is no power in the Act to keep the town in a dt. condition. Mr. Perry said— he thought an incorrect view with respect to the wishes of the trusts the turnmke-roads had been taken, as they had no desire to continv office for any other purpose than to discharge those engagements foi were k'gally and morally responsible. The trustees had no < J obiectTo servtthan the public interest. There certainly had not been Siet attention to the roads which was desirable, but great allowances o f t S fo- the peculiar circumstances of a mining district, where i dUn fn some pkces, to an alarming extent. These were mailers v were not under the control of the trustees. Mr. I?m77zac/£ said— =?.ste'ti'r>r.f e«t««rir