Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 29 September 1893
Local Government Board Inquiry at Conisborough.
The Sewage Scheme.
The Inspector and the Opposition.
Yesterday morning, at the National Schoolroom, Conisborough, before Major F. H. Tulloch, A.M.I.C.E. (C.E., an inspector of the Local Government Board, an inquiry was held, under the Public Health Act, relative to the application of the Doncaster Union Rural Sanitary Authority, for sanction to borrow the sum of £8,500 for works of sewerage, and sewage disposal from the contributory places of Conisborough and Denaby.
Amongst those present were Messrs. G. Walker, J.P.; W. H. Chambers, manager of the Denaby Main Colliery; J. Boomer and J. Gillott, members of the rural sanitary authority; Dr. Mitchell-Wilson, medical officer; Mr. F. E. Nicholson, clerk to the authority, and Mr. C. Barras, the surveyor and inspector. There were also in the room a number of ratepayers, including Messrs. Appleyard, Whitfield, Sharp, Clark, &c. Mr. Cundy, agent to Mr. Montagu also attended.
Mr. F. E. Nicholson, in answer to the Inspector, said the population of Denaby Main and New Conisborough was 6,475, and the assessment came to £34,227.
The Inspector: You have not asked for this to be made a special drainage district?
Mr. Nicholson: No.
The Inspector: You will need a special inquiry for that. It is a subject entirely of itself.
Mr. G. White, C.E. (who is the engineer of the scheme): This is a special drainage scheme.
Mr. W. H. Chambers: Plans were submitted for a special drainage system.
The Inspector: I thought there was something in the correspondence about it. The paying off of this loan falls upon the whole union, and it cannot be a special drainage system. Is it generally supposed that it is a special drainage district?
Mr. Nicholson: There will be special expenses.
The Inspector: You cannot do that without a special inquiry.
Mr. White: This is a special drainage district.
Mr. Nicholson: No. The Inspector means the Local Government Board have not made it a special drainage district in a formal way.
Mr. Chambers: We sent a plan and asked them to do so.
Mr. Nicholson: No, we did not. We asked them to approve a scheme, without submitting that in addition.
The Inspector: Yes, and that is a different subject. I am not a lawyer, but I do not think you can make these expenses a special drainage district without a further inquiry.
The inquiry was then proceeded with.
Mr. White, the engineer, produced the plan and sections, and went into the details for the guidance of the Inspector. He pointed out that so far as Denaby Main was concerned, it was sewered, and only wanted the sewage conveying to the outfall. The land for the purposes of the works was situated at Bircroft, near the gas works. It was 3a. 1r. 33p. in extent, the 3 acres being for the purposes of the sewage, and the ground had been purchased from Mr. Andrew Montagu.
The Inspector: I am afraid the three acres will not be enough, considering the population.
Mr. White: I think the Local Government Board have informed us that it will be sufficient.
The Inspector: They have not said it is enough that I am aware of.
Mr. Nicholson remarked that a letter had been written, dated May 9th, bearing on the matter.
The Inspector referred to the letter, and remarked, “Yes, unless the system was first of all submitted to chemical treatment.”
Mr. White: Yes, and we adopted the international system.
The Inspector: But the letter does not go so far as to say that the acreage is enough, even if chemically treated.
Mr. Nicholson was understood to say that he had been personally informed that it would be enough.
The Inspector: I don’t know. It does not say so in this letter. It says “adequate area must still be provided.” It is a large population for only three acres.
Mr. White then proceeded with his details of the scheme as to the man holes, &c. He stated that, so far as the land was concerned, he should see what could be done with the plough. It was grass land, and there would be no attempt to cultivate it. He thought there would be no necessity to drain it. It was thought of turning the sewage broadcast over the surface. The subsoil of the land was sand.
The Inspector: Is it liable to flood?
Mr. White: Only about twice a year, and then only slightly on one side.
Opposition to the Scheme.
The Inspector inquired if there was anyone present who was opposed to the scheme, because if so he should be very pleased to hear whatever had to be said.
Mr. S. Whitfield said he had some remarks to make.
The Inspector: You are a ratepayer, I presume?
Mr. Whitfield replied in the affirmative. He said so far as the scheme which embraced Denaby was concerned, the Conisborough people had agreed to take it in, by request, but it only included the property up to the railway gates. It would be a most iniquitous scheme if it embraced every workshop, &c., and yet excluded the plant of the colliery company from being rated. The colliery plant up to the river should be included.
Mr. Chambers: Is there anything to drain there?
Mr. Whitworth: There is as much to be drained there as in any workshop in Conisborough, I maintain. There is not a shop or a manufactory but what is included.
The Inspector: In the remaining portion of the scheme?
Mr. Whitfield: Yes, it embraces them all.
The Inspector: What is the objection to taking the colliery in the scheme?
Mr. Chambers: There is nothing to drain.
Mr. White: There is no drainage at the pit, sir.
Mr. Whitfield: You include the saw mills. The colliery has as much right to be rated as any workshop in Conisborough. It is an injustice to the ratepayers if it is excluded. It is in the parish of Denaby.
The Inspector: Then it will have to pay its proportions.
Mr. Whitfield: That is my contention.
The Inspector: That is so. (Hear, hear.) This is not a special drainage district, but drainage for the contributory places of Denaby and Conisborough, and that is what I have before me. Denaby, wherever the boundary is, will have to contribute to the scheme.
Mr. Chambers: If the whole of the Conisborough parish is rated, as well as the whole of Denaby for those two schemes, there will be no opposition on the part of the colliery company for the inclusion of the works.
The Inspector: This is for the contributory places of Denaby and Conisborough, and all those who live within the boundary of the districts, or parishes, will have to contribute to the payments.
Mr. Chambers: So long as that is over all the parishes that is alright.
The Inspector: If you exclude the rating of any portion, you must make a special drainage district.
Mr. Whitfield said it was supposed that was to be a special drainage district.
The Inspector: There seems some great misunderstanding on the question.
Mr. Whitfield: There was a deal of time spent over it. (Laughter.)
The Inspector: I have a scheme for the contributory places, with the population, and assessment, and the burden will be spread over the two parishes. Denaby is not the same as Conisborough.
Mr. Chambers: Denaby is a township in the Mexborough parish.
The Inspector: It is a contributory place under the Public Health Act.
Mr. Nicholson: Yes, it is one of the parishes under the rural sanitary authority.
Mr. Clarkson: Is not the whole of Denaby Main in the Rotherham district?
Mr. Walker: For police purposes. (Laughter.)
The Inspector: Let me deal with one gentleman first. (To Mr. Whitfield): You think this colliery should be drained?
Mr. Clarkson: No; that it should be rated.
The Inspector: As far as rating is concerned, it will have to be apportioned over the whole of Denaby and Conisborough.
Mr. Whitfield: The whole of both parishes?
The Inspector again stated that was so.
Mr. Whitfield then drew attention to the drainage so far as it related to a part of Mount Pleasant, where he had some property, and he contended that the drain would not be deep enough. The cottages had cellars about seven feet below the turnpike.
Dr. Mitchell-Wilson said no drain should go into a cellar.
The Inspector: But provision must be made for them.
Dr. Mitchell-Wilson: The bye-laws say no drainage shall enter a house.
The Inspector replied that sewers must be put in low enough to drain the cellars. Having viewed the plan, he said there were very good gradients, and Mr. Whitfield could have his cellars attended to as he wished; there was no difficulty about it.
Mr. Whitfield: Thank you.
Mr. G. Walker, J.P.: Do I understand that the whole of the expense of the sewerage scheme is to come on the whole of the parish?
The Inspector: Certainly.
Mr. Walker: That is quite contrary to the expectation of the parochial committee, who drew up the plans. We defined the area.
The Inspector: You cannot define the area without the sanction of the Local Government Board. There seems to be some misapprehension. You seem to think that by some means you have the power to do these things, but you haven’t the power to do these things.
Mr. Walker: It will be a very serious burden for the outlying farms where no benefit is derived from the scheme. I am very much disappointed indeed. We defined a district area. However, I may be “out of court” in these remarks.
The Inspector: No, you are quite wise to mention it. But if you wish to form an area you must represent your views; a notice must be put up, and there must be an inquiry as to the subject alone.
Mr. Frank Appleyard said he had a farm at Clifton, two miles away, and that would be very unfair for him to have to pay.
The Inspector: I cannot alter the law.
Mr. Appleyard: The drainage is no good to me.
The Inspector: But such is the law of the land.
Mr. Appleyard: There should be an area formed.
The Inspector: There cannot be, unless the authority make application, and then an inquiry can be held.
Mr. Appleyard: The drainage scheme is simply for the drainage of the new houses at Denaby, and here is a sanitary authority and the manager of the pit and his colleagues, and they want us to drain the cottages and yet not bring the pit in. (Hear, hear.) You see they bring a nuisance to the village, and they only want to contribute as little as they can to it. I am a large ratepayer, and shall have a good deal to pay to this scheme.
Mr. Chambers: You are rated at one-fourth.
Mr. Appleyard: I shall have a fairish sum to pay, and a good deal more than you will have to pay on the house you (Mr. Chambers) live in.
Mr. Chambers: You forget all these cottages are a help to reduce the rates for highway and other purposes.
The Inspector: I cannot go into this question to-day. I have heard these arguments very many times in different places I have visited, and if you talk to me until ten o’clock to-night you will not change my mind. The subject is not before me. I sympathise with you, but cannot help you.
Mr. Appleyard: I should like it to be fairly represented.
The Inspector: You must do so; I am very sorry that I cannot help you. It is beyond my power.
Mr. R. H. Sharp: The rating area is defined by each parish.
The Inspector: The words are “the contributory places.”
Mr. Walker: If the outlying farms are not out of the area Denaby Main should be the same, but it is a great advantage to bring the company in our area, or the rates will be very heavy indeed.
Mr. Appleyard: These people (the colliery company) are making all the nuisance, and yet don’t want to pay.
The Inspector repeated that he could not say anything further on the matter at present.
The inquiry then ended, and the Inspector afterwards inspected the site for the proposed works, &c.