Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/221

 ey a i ‘ oe Maron 8, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 205 the interests of the public should be considered in case it should appear that there were other means by which the object in view could be better carried out than by the plan laid down in the Bill.—Mr. Headlam had not the slightest hesitation in expres- sing his opinion that the Bill should go to an ordi- nary Selest Committee.—Mr. Locke pointed out that if the Bill were sent to an ordinary Committee the parishes affected would have no locus standi before it, and thus a matter which affected the metropolis might come to be decided by four or five country gentlemen. The House divided: For the motion, 122; against it, 170—48. BiemincuamM SEwacre Bitt.—On Thursday week, on the motion for the second reading of this Bill, Sir R. Peel moved that it should be read a second time on that day six months. The right honourable baronet argued that the Bill involyed not merely a local, but an imperial question affect- ing the health of the community. This Bill was nothing more than ‘a gigantic speculation of the Birmingham Corporation, involving an expenditure of £400,000, to be charged upon the borough rates. It proposed to establish a sewage park of 1,000 acres in extent, about twelve miles from Birmingham, and if not well managed this must become an intolerable nuisance to the neigh- bourhood. (Hear, hear.) In every gallon of town sewage there were five grains of ammonia, and this, indeed, it was proposed to neutralise by what was ealled “intermittent downward filtration,” so that the promoters were not only going to poison the air, but even the very soil. The Birmingham Water Works Company had petitioned against the Bill, on the ground that if the promoters of the proposed scheme were allowed to distribute the sewage of Birmingham upon lands adjacent to their reservoirs the purity of the water would be permanently affected. He submitted that at the present time, when the Government were introducing measures of a sanitary character, it was premature to sanction a scheme of this nature.—Sir C. Adderley seconded the amendment. His objection to this Bill was based entirely upon principle. He held that Parliament should not sanction the getting rid of one nuisance by the creation of another.—Mr. Dixon supported the Bill. The nuisance which the measure sought to abolish affected 350,000 people, whereas at the worst the nuisance which would be created would only affect two or three country gentlemen. (“ Hear,” and “Oh.”) He contended that the Bill would create no nuisance, and that the Town Council, having been compelled by the Court of Chancery and the Health of Towns Commission to utilise the town sewage, it should not be prevented from going into Committee—Lord R. Montagu supported the Bill—Mr. J. Peel strongly opposed the second reading.—Mr. Muntz warmly supported the Bill, and denied that the proposed works would create the slightest nuisance.—Mr. Samuelson also supported the second reading, having already tested the plan in Banbury. There the sewage works were within a quarter of a mile of the town, and they created no nuisance.—Mr. Newdegate opposed the Bill—Mr. Stansfeld considered that all +he objections which had been raised against the measure were matters for the consideration of a Select Com- mittee, and could not be satisfactorily dealt with by discussion in the House itself. He trusted, there- fore, that the amendment would be withdrawn, and assured the right hon. baronet that if the Bill went to a Committee it would be the duty of the Local Government Board to examine it with great care, not only with reference to the requirements of the population of Birmingham, but with reference also to the population of the districts through which the sewage was to be carried, and where it was to be discharged—The House divided: for the second reading, 192; against it, 103—62. The Bill was” accordingly read a second time. eng eters WATER SUPPLY AND SANITARY MATTERS. SEWAGE EXPERIMENTS AT BLoxwicu.—Some sewage experiments were made at Bloxwich on Saturday, by Mr. Daniel Wilks, locksmith. The experiments were witnessed by Mr. J. 8. Wright (Chairman of the Committee of Birmingham Rate- payers’ Sewage Association), Mr. Hands (Secretary), Mr. Councillor Baker, Mr. Baker (a member of the Balsall Heath Local Board of Health, Mr. C. Cattell and other gentlemen. The visitors were first shown a rougnly-constructed closet, which has a structural arrangement for the division of the foeces from the urine. The urine passes into a box in the front of the closet, where it is deodorised and absorbed in the powder. If the whole is not absorbed, the re- mainder can escape through an outlet, but not until it has been changed into a clean and perfectly in- offensive liquid. Unless, however, the closet is very much used, and the quantity of powder is too small, the whole of the urine is absorbed. The foeces are deodorised by the same kind of powder, for which a receptacle is provided at the back of the closet. It is only necessary to use about half an ounce of powder at one time, and it can be as readily applied as water for flushing an ordinary water-closet. Mr. ‘Wilks contends that the deodorisation is complete, and that if the feeces were left in the closet for twelve months no nuisance would arise. After the mixture of the feeces and urine with the powder, he professes to change, by a process of combustion, the whole into manure, of great value for agricul- tural purposes. In proof of the good qualities of his manure, Mr. Wilks points with much pride to a garden, which was seen by the visitors. Some years ago it was colliery ground; now it bears large crops. Tue DRAINAGE OF Winpsor.—The Windsor Board of Health are still in difficulty in respect to the drainage question. A few years ago it was pro- posed to establish a sewage farm at Huton, but after some discussion the plan was considered too expensive, and was not carried out. Vhen Mr. Dover's process was adopted, and negotiations were carried on between the Board and that gentleman for a considerable timie, but to no purpose, and now the Board have turned their attention to the A.B.C. scheme. Mr. Hackness, C.E., of Victoria-street, Westminster, six years ago proposed a plan for collecting all the drainage of Windsor, Eton, Slough, and Windsor Castle to a central point on the bank of the river Thames by gravitation, and pumping it to Chobham, Finchley, or Bagshot, where suitable land could be purchased at a moderate price for a sewage farm; the cost of carrying out this plan amounted to £60,000, to be apportioned among the three towns and the castle. The author of the scheme is of opinion that it is not desirable to have sewage farms in the vicinity of towns or populous districts ; for instance, he objects to have four sewage farms in the neighbourhood of Windsor. ee Ou Ottice Table —»>—_ Tue Cuortey Town Haut Comrerirron.—The Commissioners last week selected 18 out of the 63 sets of plans sent in in this competition, and this number will be reduced for the final selection. The selected designs bear the following mottoes:—‘ Centralisa- tone ebcactical,’2) aS 1S7O7 iG estate “Utility and Economy,” ‘ Esperto Credo,” ‘ We strive to win,” ‘‘ Square and Compass,” “ To be or not to be,” ‘As you like it,” ‘‘ Well Considered,” “Golden Key,” “ Aidis,” “Hope” (in circle), ‘ Let Chorley flourish,” ‘‘ Cotton,” and ‘ Palmam qui meruit ferat.” A proposal that ‘a disinterested architect and builder be called in to examine the competition plans, specifications, and estimates for the New Town Hall; to assist the Commissioners to award the premiums and in the selection of a plan to meet the requirements of the town,” was negatived, on the ground that ‘‘ the Commissioners knew what they wanted better than an independent architect could tell them,” Deatu or Mrs. Grorcr Gitpert Scorr.— Mr. George Gilbert Scott, having not long since recovered from a severe illness, has had the misfor- tune to lose his wife. The deceased lady was a daughter of a- Boston (Lincolnshire) gentleman, named Oldrid, and she was sixty years old, one year younger than her husband. Tue ENLARGEMENT OF VicTorIA PArK.—The Victoria Park Preservation Society are renewing their efforts to obtain every available portion of the open spaces which remain around Victoria Park. At the instigation of the society, the Metropolitan Board of Works recently purchased about 24 acres of the Crown land for the park, including the land on the south side of the park, and to the east of the Queen’s Hotel. These portions were secured from the Government for £20,450. But, besides the por- tions of land which have been thus purchased on thenorth and north-west sides of the park, there are several plots of Crown land, amounting in the aggre- gate to about nine or ten acres. Some of these plots have passed into private hands, and their purchase having become a matter of some difficulty they were abandoned by the Metropolitan Board of Works. Last week a deputation waited on the members for Hackney, with a view of influencing them to induce the House of Commons to repurchase these plots. Mr. Holms, however, gave it as his decided opinion that the attempt to obtain the land would be useless, as both the Government and the country members would oppose the motion. The society, has, therefore, determined to urge the various local boards surrounding the park to combine for the purchase of the plots of land in question. AspuHatte Roapways.—We should much like to know whether the statements contained in a para- graph in a weekly of Saturday last, March 2, are correct, because if so, what value is to be attached to the favourable opinion of Mr. A. G. Church, the secretary and general manager of the London General Omnibus Company as to asphalte roadways ? —an opinion cited by Mr. Haywood, the engineer to the City Commissioners of Sewers, in his recent re- port on the subject. The paragraph in question reads as follows :—“ On a recent occasion, when the asphalte pavement in Cheapside was specially slip- pery, we noticed that the omnibuses affected any and every route but the direet one. On the following day the reverse action was obvious. It is said that the Chairman and other directors of the London General Omnibus Company are deeply interested in the asphalte road companies ; also that on the second day referred to, a notice was put up by the London General Omnibus Company, warning drivers not to avoid the asphalte on pain of dismissal.” Pic-Krrpinc Anp ‘“‘ Vustep Inrerests.”—The social and sanitary reformer are constantly being reminded that, however necessary their labours may be, they must not pursue them to the detriment of “vested interests,” however ignoble. Is it desired to check, diminish, or prevent the alarming pre- valence of drunkenness, which all thinking men de- clare to be one of the greatest (if not the greatest) social evils of the day? The ‘ vested interests” of a few thousands persons—brewers, distillers, publicans, &c.—must not suffer at any price, though the licenses which constitute such ‘‘ vested interests” are only granted for a year from the date of their issue, and could legally be refused renewal by the licensing authority if deemed advisable. Or, again, is the keeping of pigs in confined situations in towns declared by competent sanitary authorities to be incompatible with a high standard of health in such localities? ‘* Vested interests ” again come to the front, become of the public weal what may. We read in a local paper that “‘the recent attempts on the part of the Wandsworth District Board of Works to put down pig-keeping have caused considerable agitation in Battersea.” A number of pig-keepers have presented a memorial to the Home Secre- tary, ‘‘praying him not to sanction any legis- lation which might be proposed having for its object the extinction of a trade in which so many are materially interested.” Though ‘‘many” may be ‘‘ materially interested ” in the profits arising from pig-keeping, more are very ‘‘ materially interested ” in preserving the public health of the locality. Paste ror Parer-HAnernes.—The Journal of Applied Chemistry recommends the use of a small quantity of carbolic acid in paste for laying paper- hangings and in whitewash, and states that it will repel cockroaches and allother insects. It will also neutralise the disagreeable odour consequent upon the decomposition of the paste, which in newly prepared walls is sometimes very oppressive. The cheapest and best form of carbolic acid is erystal, which dissolves in water at an excess of tempera- ture. CiAss or ConstrucTion AND Practice, ARCHI- TEOTURAL ASSOCIATION.—The tenth meeting of this class for the present session will be held on Friday evening next, the 15th inst., when the subject will be “ Drainage and Water Supply.” The following are the questions: —1. Upon what data do you calculate the size and inclination of house drains? Show the best form and construction of a brick sewer ? 2. What method of paving and drainage is best for a stable? 3. Give sections of various modes of trapping drains ? Should the connections to rain-pipes be trapped? 4, How are sewer-valves constructed to prevent the ingress of tidal waters? 5. State the means you would adopt to afford water supply and drainage to a house in a rural district? 6. Give detailed speci- fication for the proper water supply to a town house with stable, upon the intermittent system? 7. By what rules do you caleulate the above? 8. In what way would you construct a water-tight cesspool ? 9. What formalities have to be observed relative to the construction of a new sewer within the metro- politan district ? Sacacrious VesrrymEen.—Of late years we have often been told that ‘local self-government is on its trial.” Certainly, some of our local representatives will not conduce to the éclat with which, we will as- sume, ‘so peculiarly British an institution” will escape from its ordeal. Only last week there was a most unseemly ‘“‘row” in the Camberwell vestry, arising out of insinuations and recriminations as to “corruption ” and ‘ jobbery ” in filling offices in the appointment of the vestry. Where, on the other hand, such pugnacity does not tend to bring the local “representative council” into contempt, the ignorance displayed by some of the vestrymen is almost as effectual in attaining the same end. It would almost seem, from a report in a local paper, that the Lambeth Vestry is rapidly qualifying itself to be known as the ‘‘comie vestry” of the metro- polis, During a discussion a fortnight ago on the impurity of the water supplied by the South London Companies, one member said “he could not see why bad water should not be destroyed, as well as bad