Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the town and borough of Beverley / by Geo. C. Clark, Superintending Inspector.

  • Clark, George Thomas, 1809-1898.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the town and borough of Beverley / by Geo. C. Clark, Superintending Inspector. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    modations, when not carried out by the proprietor, are paid for by a private rate, levied upon house property in the proportion in which each needs the remedies. 104. The operation and cost of the proposed system may be contrasted with the following examples, under the existing state of things. Some years ago the owner of the end house near the fish shambles laid a drain from his own house down Dyers'-lane into Walker-beck, at a cost of about 40Z. None of his neighbours chose to benefit by this sewer; in consequence one house was saddled with a payment equivalent to 21. 3s. Ad. per annum, spread over 30 years. But about 40 houses might conveniently nave used one main drain, and had they combined the common drain would have been laid down Dog-and-Duck-lane, and have cost much less. Supposing it however to have cost the same, in this case the charge per house would have been only 1Z. or Is. Id. per annum, and for this sum a main or trunk drainage would have been provided. 105 Tindal's-lane or court, is a similar case, only that here nothincr whatever has been done, because no one proprietor is wil- ling to°bear the whole charge, and there is no power either of compelling all to join, or of raising the sum required by loan, and distributing the repayment over 30 years. 106 Again, in the case of St. Mary's new burial-ground, a most unpopular subject in the parish, on the ground of its cost; This ground was paid for in 15 years; whereas it appears from Mr Shepherd's statement that it is calculated to last above half a century, so that the cost might at least have been distributed over 30 years, which would have materially lightened the expense, and have been a much more equitable adjustment of the burthen. 107 At present a landlord who wishes to sewer his house properly, but whose interest in it may be limited to his life, is ot course unwilling to incur the expense of works of a character more permanent than his own interest, and a tenant, or occupier- is still less likely to do what is required. Under the Public Health Act, the distribution of the payment over long periods removes this difficulty, since each, whether owner, tenant, or occupier, only pays his share of the cost in the proportion, or during the time, in which he is benefited. 108 The people of Beverley have been accustomed, it appears, to look upon all their public expenditure as so much money paid simply to meet a certain necessary evil, and from which. fhev expect no return. This, whatever may be the case when. e^ted to expenditure for the relief of the poor is by no means a St or wise view when directed to expenditure m sewerage or water supply. Beverley is in the condition of a person ex- pending aZg/income, of which a part goes in pitching cherr W Funis in expenses caused by sickness, others in supporhng hegpool- Now it appears that the pitching costs more than it