Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/558

 536 THE BUILDING NEWS. June 28, 1872. PARLIAMENTARY NOTES. Tue THAMES EMBANKMENT (LAND) Birti.—The Select Committee of the House of Commons on the Thames Embankment (Land) Bill met on Monday. At the sitting of the Committee Mr. Rodwell, on the part of the Metropolitan Board of Works, stated the proposition of the Parliamentary Committee made at the meeting of the Board on Friday last, which was to give up a portion of the land owned by the Metro- politan Board in exchange for a similar piece of land owned by the Crown, and accompanied by a small annual payment of £83 per acre for the land, as garden-ground, to the white post line. Mr. Denison, Q.C., on the part of the Crown, refused to accept the terms proposed, and said he should proceed with the Bill. He then called several witnesses.—Mr. Rodwell having been heard in reply. the Chairman of the Committee, after a short consultation with the other members, said they desired to ro and view the ground, and they accordingly proceeded there, ac- companied by Mr, Vulliamy, the superintending architect, and Mr. Cates, the Crown surveyor. On their return the Committee assembled, and then directed the room to be cleared. On the re-admis- sion of the public, the Chairman announced that they had come to the following decision :—“ The Com- mittee are of opinion that the preamble of the Bill is roved, soas to enable the Metropolitan Board of Works to acquire the whole of the prescribed land at the sum, or in the mode, provided by the Bull; and also are of opinion that power should be given to the Metropolitan Board for the acquirement of the prescribed land, less an enclosure of a space of 30ft. parallel and in front of the line of white posts, to be retained by the Crown, fenced off by an open iron railing only, and maintained as a garden of the same character as the rest of the space, and at the same level, or at a height of not more than 3ft. above it. The price to be paid by the Metropolitan Board of Works for the portion of the prescribed land to be acquired by them in the latter case to be the sum now proposed by the Crown, viz., £3,000.” This actually gives the Crown all that was asked. Mr. Rodwell, on behalf of the Metropolitan Board of Works, said he should take no part in arranging the clauses of the Bill, The Committee then adjourned. 3ETHNAL-GREEN Musrum.—In reply to Sir C. Dilke, Mr. W. E. Forster said that the Bethnal- green Museum was under the same conditions re- specting its being opened on Sundays as other Museums of the State, and the Government had not yet come toany conclusion on that point. No special representation had been made with respect to the Bethnal-green Museum. BERMONDSEY WATER F'AmMINE.—Mr. Kay-Shuttle- worth gave notice that on the following Thursday he should ask the President of the Board of Trade whether there was any truth in the report that a large district of London, comprising Bermondsey and its neighbourhood, was deficient in water supply, and what steps were being taken by the Government and the water company for the purpose of averting the danger to health which might arise from the deficiency. METROPOLITAN TRAMWAYS.—In reply to Mr. Locke, Mr. C. Fortescue said that looking to the lateness of the session and the state of public business, the Government proposed to continue the suspension of the suspended provisional orders and Bill for pro- moting tramways in the metropolis, with the excep- tion of the Bill for promoting the London, Streatham, and Croydon ‘Tramway, the promoters of which had decided to proceed with it. ——_—__——_ CHIPS. The Mile-end Old Town Charity School—popu- larly known in the East of London as the Red Coat School—is to be rebuilt and considerably en- larged. The contractors are Messrs. F. & F. J. Wood. New Church Schools are about to be erected at Cullompton, from the designs of Mr. W. H. Stafford, at a cost of £2,000, A new (Roman) Catholic Church was on Monday opened at Cleator, Cumberland. The style is Early Decorated Gothic, and the building has been erected from the designs of Mr. E. Welby Pugin. It is capable of holding about a thousand people, and has cost £7,000. The Church of S. Mary, Boston Spa, Yorks, is about to be restored and enlarged, from the designs of Mr. W. H. Parkinson, of Leeds. A new Wesleyan Chapel has been opened at Beccles. It is of white brick, faced with stone on the outside, and on the interior relieved with red brick. Mr. Clemence, of Lowestoft, was the archi- tect. The Oblate Fathers are about to erect a new College, at Notting-Hill, from designs by Mr. Tasker, By permission of Colonel Campbell, R.A.. the superintendent of the Royal Gun Factories, Wool- wich, the Members and Associates of the Society of Engineers will visit that interesting establishment next Tu slay at two o'clock. The Archeological Institute make their excursion to Guildford on Tuesday next, July 2nd. Mr. G. T. Clark will describe the castle, and Mr. Parker, C.B., the churches and hospital. Our Ofte Table, FREEING THE BrrpGes Over THE THAMES.— The newly-formed Metropolitan Free Bridges Asso- ciation is working vigorously in aid of the object for which it was started, and is rapidly developing a strong public opinion in its favour. It was in- tended at first to agitate only for the freeing of Waterloo-bridge, but it was afterwards seen that the same reasons why that bridge should be freed existed more or less with regard to all the other bridges. Meetings were held under the auspices of the Association last week at Battersea and Hammer- smith. At the Battersea meeting resolutions were passed in favour of freeing Battersea and Chelsea bridges from toll, and at the Hammersmith meeting similar resolutions were passed with regard to Hammersmith and Fulham bridges. At the first meeting it was stated that when Battersea Park was first formed, it was suggested that all the land up to the South Western Railway should be purchased by the Government; but Lord Lincoln, who was at that time at the head of the Woods and Forests Depart- ment, thought that such a purchase would be opposed, The result was that between the Wands- worth-road and the railway there was a class of houses which was not likely to tempt the building of such houses as were to be seen on the Westminster land on the other side of the water, and yet the late Mr. Cubitt contemplated round Battersea Park a class of house equal to Eatonand Belgrave squares, and was willing to take the land if the bridge, then in construction, was freed from toll. Lord Palmerston had even said it was ridiculous to have a free park and a toll bridge to get to it. Morrew’s Parent SanirAry Croser. — Mr. J.C. Morrell’s improved ash closet, illustrated and fully described by us in the Bur~pinc News of January 8, 1869, is now being successfully manu- factured and fixed by the Sanitary and Economic Manure Company, of Manchester. The cost of new erections, including patent apparatus, is about £5 each closet, complete; the cost of adapting existing closets from £4 to £5 each, How Smavzi-Pox 1s SprEAD.—At last week's meeting of the Lambeth Vestry some demur was made as to the proposal to erect a disinfecting chamber for clothing, bedding, &c., in connection with the new Lambeth Workhouse. It was pointed out that such an adjunct was absolutely essential for the protection of the inmates of the building and of the inhabitants of the immediate locality. Mr. Jarvis, a member of the Vestry, pointed out that a very painful circumstance had occurred in reference to the course at present pursued by the Vestry. Mr. Easton, the contractor for the removal of the dfist of the parish, in whose yard the infected clothes from the workhouse were burnt, was only a few days ago seized with small-pox, and haddied. A great many men were employed in Mr. Easton’s yard, and he (Mr. Jarvis) believed that the Vestry were very wrong in sending the clothes there. So we say. Proposep New Cremerery ror SourH Lonpon. —The Secretary of State has licensed the site of a new cemetery for South London. It comprises forty acres of land in the parish of Beckenham, adjoining South Penge Park and South Norwood, and in close proximity to the Anerley, Norwood Junction, Elmer’s End, Penge, and Beckenham railway stations. It is urged that as between the years 1861 and 1871 the population of this district has enormously increased, while several graveyards have been closed, and but few additional facilities are afforded for the burial of the dead, this new cemetery has become a necessity. Notably, the Norwood and Nunehead cemeteries are rapidly filling, and that at Croydonis closed against all who are not parishioners. Arcu2®0LoGy IN Rome.—Mr. C. J. Hemans, writing from Rome, says:—The Municipal Junta has nominated a new Commission of Archxology in place of that created soon after the change of Go- vernment here, and composed of seven members: Giovanni Battista de Rossi, Carlo Visconti, Augusto Castellani, Virginio Vespignani, Rodolfo Lanciani, Francesco Vitelleschi, and Pietro Rosa. The accept- ance of office by the first, second, and fourth of the above-named gentlemen is noteworthy, and implies, in fact, alliance and conciliation between those hitherto opposed. Abilities ably exercised under the Pontifical authority are thus secured for support and co-operation to a Commission in which the other element, the party represented, we may say, by Signor Rosa, is also found. This measure promises a better system of procedure through united agency and deference to the counsels of all, instead of depen- dence on the decisions of one—which latter practice is believed to have been too commonly that of the formerly-appointed Commission. Grade Helvs, WAGES MOVEMENT. Bristou.—Mr. Lewis Fry, who was appointed umpire in the dispute between the operative carpenters and joiners of the city and their employers, has given. his decision as follows:—‘ Having given deliberate consideration to the facts and arguments laid before me by the employers and by the operative carpenters and joiners, I haye arrived at the conclusion that it will be fair, under the circumstances, to fix the rate of wages at 64d. per hour; the hours of work to be 54 per week in summer (instead of 56, as at present), and 504 in winter (as at present). I, therefore, make my award on these points accordingly. With regard to payment for overtime, Iam of opinion that the evi- dence adduced would not justify me in altering the existing rate—viz., 25 per cent. for the first two hours of overtime (per day) worked at the request of the employers, and 50 per cent. after such two hours. The present rule will, therefore, stand good.” “ CELEBRATION OF THE Nine Hours. * — While the building trades are still contending for the nine hours, the Societies of **‘ Amalgamated Engi- neers,” “ Ironfounders,” and “ Boiler-makers and Iron Ship-builders,” intend to commemorate the successful result of the nine hours’ moyement as regards their respective trades by holding a festival at the Crystal Palace on Monday next, July 1st, when a number of gentlemen well known for their advocacy of the rights of labour will attend and take part in the proceedings. Cn1caGo.—The Chicago employers haye acceded to the demands of the plasterers for five dollars per day. GuLascow.—At a meeting held on Monday night in the Trades’ Hall, Glasgow, the following resolutions were passed :—That this meeting of the building trades of Glasgow cordially approves of the desire of the operative masons to introduce the system of the pay- ment of wages weekly ; deeply regrets that the delibe- rate refusal of the Master Masons’ Association to enter- tain the proposal has forced the present course—viz., - that of a strike—upon them, and resolves to afford the operatives their best moral influence, and, if need be, financial aid in maintaining their present struggle ; and declares its thorough disapproval of the policy pursued by the Master Mason’s Association in endeavouring to cause the employers in Edinburgh to lock out the operatives there, and its conviction that such action is contrary to the spirit of the ‘‘ Criminal Law Amend- ment Act,” or otherwise a strong argument in favour of its repeal as a measure which interferes with the action of combined workmen only. Lonpon.—The dispute between the masters and men seems to be extending, and matters seem no nearer the likelihood of a settlement than last week At the second meeting of the locked-out masons in London on Tuesday, it was stated that steps had been taken to collect subscriptions from Manchester and other towns. 200 men have left work in the country. The Carpen- ters’ Committee paid the second dividend of 21s. ‘The West-end decorators have held a meeting, and entirely approved of the course taken by the masters. The official list issued on Saturday by the Master Builders’ Committee contains the names of sixty-five firms who have locked out their men. Among them are about twenty of the large building firms, employing a— total of from 5,000 to 6,000 men, the remainder consisting of second-class and small firms, employing about 5,000 men. It isstated, as showing the marked difference in the magnitude of the present lock-out as compared with the lock-out of 1859-60 that, while only sixty- five firms have now locked out, at the former periodthe number was 225. Several large firms haye not joined in the lock-out, besides some 500 or 600 small firms. This, of course, strengthens the hands of the men, a8 each man working will pay a 3s. weekly levy in sup- port of his fellow workmen. The London Trades Council haye made an effort in the direction of a reconciliation, which does not appear to haye been favourably received. A deputation from the Council had an interview with the Masons’ Central Committee on Wednesday, to urge the desirability of approaching the masters with another proposition, to the effect that if the nine hours were at once conceded, the men would resume work, and leave the wages and code of working rules to be settled by arbitration. The committee, however, held out no hope to the deputation that these good offices would be accepted, but promised to lay the proposal before the men on the following day. An aggregate meeting of the masons of London took place last night, to consider the steps to be adopted to carry out the strike threatened or contemplated on the Ist of July, unless the demands of their memorial were com- plied with. The Central Committee of the Carpen- ters and Joiners received a report from their deputa- tion to the Trades Council on Tuesday night, and the Trades Council deputation were to state their views to the usual delegate meeting last night. Some district reports were brought in of the withdrawal of lock- outs, and the men resuming work at the old terms or the understanding that whatever advantage, mis! ensue from the present contest they should par oe e inall the same. It does not appear, however. 8 fie of the employers referred to were incl a see official list. The Central Committee, ¥f the Smi and Fitters held their first business »*“eting on Wednes- ho, and ap- day at the Rose and Crown, Feve-street, Soho, and. omited Mr. A. J. Bakee president, Mr. William 3 d Engineers, ‘Allan, general secret#y of the Amalgamate ‘ Geant ana Mr. G. B. Fleming secretary. This