Report upon inquiry as to the truth or otherwise of certain allegations contained in a memorial from the vicar and other inahbitants of Barking, in the county of Essex, calling attention to the pollution of the river Thames by the discharge of sewage through the Northern Main Outfall Sewer of the Metropolitan Board of Works / by Robert Rawlinson... together with minutes of proceedings, abstract, and index.

  • Rawlinson, Robert, 1810-1898.
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report upon inquiry as to the truth or otherwise of certain allegations contained in a memorial from the vicar and other inahbitants of Barking, in the county of Essex, calling attention to the pollution of the river Thames by the discharge of sewage through the Northern Main Outfall Sewer of the Metropolitan Board of Works / by Robert Rawlinson... together with minutes of proceedings, abstract, and index. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    State, calling his attention to the great want that there is of a Local Board of Health to take these matters into consideration, and to determine whether the sewage of London is the thing that is causing this high rate of mortality, or whether it arises from other local causes. Some people say that it is Mr. Hope's farm ; others say it is the London sewers ; others say it is the state of the town. How are we to decide. ? Somebody is required to take this matter in hand, and determine what it is. As far as the formation of these banks which are alleged to be formed in the creek is concerned I cannot say whether they are there or whether they are not. I have no means of judging. I am a barge-owner, but my barges do not travel up the creek ; they travel upon the Thames. I have often heard it said that there is a bank forming in the Thames. I cannot say anything as to that, but this thing I do know, that the mortality of this town of Barking has been and is very high indeed, something fearful. I believe it was something like 50 in the 1,000 during the last summer, and if that is not enough to make the inhabitants bestir themselves and get an alteration, I do not know what is. I am very much pleased at having the opportunity afforded me of saying this much to you. I am not able to define from what cause that high rate of mortality arises, but it is clearly to my mind from some local cause or other, and my opinion is, such cause ought if possible to be prevented. 324. {The Commissioner.} What is your business ? —I am a chemical manufacturer, and have a factory at the creek's mouth. 325. What number of men do you employ ?—Some- times we employ as many as 50. At this time of year we do not employ as many as that. 326. How many does Mr. Lawes employ ?—150 or 200 sometimes. 327. What name would you give your factory ?— Chemical works. Mr. Lawes' is a manure factory. 328. What chemicals do you manufacture ?—We manufacture ammonia, pitch, and all such things as those. 329. From what ?—From the refuse of the gas companies. 330. Is there anything in that manufacture affect- ing the health of your men ?—Not at all, nor do we affect the river in any shape or form. 331. Neither the Thames nor the creek?—Neither the Thames nor the creek. {The Commissioner.) You put a question to me as to what you should do in order to get the inhabitants of Barking to put themselves under proper local govern- or. Cruwe. 21 June 1869. ment. There was an Act passed in 1866 called the Sani- FIRST DAY. tary Act. If you will look at the 49th section of that Act, you will see that if you choose to memorialize the Secretary of State, an inquiry into the sanitary condition of Barking will be ordered to take place, and if it be found that you are so defective as described—that the inhabitants have cesspools beneath their houses, that they have no proper system of sewers, that you have an excessive rate of mortality, probably attributable to that state of things—you will have due notice given to you to adopt the powers which Parliament has provided under the Local Government Act or under the Sanitary Act, and if the inhabitants will not take steps necessary to improvement the Secretary of State is empowered to send down an engineer to devise works, and to execute them, to levy rates, and to continue levying those rates until the cost of the sewers and other sanitary works has been repaid. The Sanitary Act of 1866 is in force all over England. The inhabitants of Barking ought to know it. It ought to be discussed at the next meeting of the vestry, because it is in force whether you will or not. Any individual resident in a town can bring its machinery into motion, but I would earnestly advise the inhabitants of Barking not to wait till some one applies to the Secretary of State to put the Sanitary Act of 1866 in force, but that they, the Barking rate- payers, should arrange matters amongst themselves, and adopt a system of local government under the Local Government Act, 1858, for they will find that proper sanitary works, devised by themselves, and carried out by themselves will be by far the cheapest mode of proceeding; and though they may have to pay a rate for the necessary works, if those works have the effect of diminishing the fearful mortality which has been spoken of, the humblest ratepayer instead of finding the cost really a tax will find it to be the greatest blessing that he can receive. {Mr. Brady.) Will you kindly give us an adjourn- ment till next Monday ? At that time we shall be prepared to give you substantial evidence of the truth of the allegations of the memorial. {The Commissioner.) I wish to suggest that be- tween this and our next sitting, witnesses should be found who took part in preparing the memorial and wrho can speak positively as to the statements in the several allegations. I do not know who has drawn the memorial, but I think it is quite right and proper that I should ask questions as to the figures in the memorial, for sometimes figures get wrong. You will give the best reply you can. Adjourned till Thursday, 1st July, at 12 o'clock. SECOND DAY. Town Hall, Barking, Thursday, 1st July 1869. Mr. Lloyd appeared (instructed by Mr. Brady) as counsel for the memorialists. Mr. Edward Deveson called ; examined by Mr. Lloyd. 333. You live at Barking, do you not ?—Yes. 334. You are manager for Mr. Burrell, a coal mer- 335. How long have you been in that position ?— 26 years. 336. You have known Barking Creek all that time ? —Yes ; 29 years. I do not wish to put distinct and specific ques- tions to you more than are necessary. I, however, wish you to tell the Commissioner who is here to make inquiry into the allegations of that memorial your own knowledge and experience of facts, with reference to the state of the creek now, as compared with what it was up to a few years ago. 337-8. {Mr. Philbrick.) What is that document in your hand ?—Some private memorandum of my own. {Mr. Philbrick.) You had better put it on one side. 339. {The Commissioner.) Have you read this memorial, or were you present when I read it ?—I was, and I think I understand the nature of it, because I was the party who went round with the petition. 340. Had you anything to do with drawing up the memorial ?—I had nothing to do with the wording of it. 341. Who did word it ?—I am not able to say. 342. You read it before you went round with it ?— Yes. B 2 SECOND DAY. Mr. E. Deveson.