was let by contract. Then, with regard to scavenging, that had also recently had their attention, with the view of having the whole town divided into districts, with a proper supervision over them, and of letting the work in four or more contracts, as they might see necessary. The smoke nuisance was another question that would have to be considered, as well as the slaughter houses. Those were both very important things, especially the latter. Many of the slaughter houses were in very crowded districts, and were very near to dwellings where a large mass of people were living. It was possible that they might have to bring before the Council some scheme on the question.

Mr. MAWSON had great pleasure in supporting Mr. Ald. Bell's motion, and he was only sorry that he had agreed to alter the wording of it. Though they now adopted the Acts of 1861 and 1866, they were not compelled in any sense to carry them out, because whatever expenditure they incurred must ultimately come before the Council. He was glad to hear in the excellent speech of Mr. Gregson, his remarks with regard to intemperance. He (Mr. Mawson) believed that three-fourths of the disease and poverty with which their population was afflicted were the cause of intemperate habits. The assertion of Mr. Hamond that there was no need of extra accommodation was, he thought, amply answered by the reports. According to the census returns, the average number of persons to a house was greater in Newcastle than in any other of the large towns in England. The number of houses built since 1861 had not kept pace with the increase of population. In 1861, there was a house for about every seven or eight of the population, and at present there was only a house for every ten persons. There was thus a great disparity between house accommodation and the population. The number of houses built in 1861 was 387; 1864, 187; and in 1865 only 108. They commenced 1867 with fewer houses to the number of population than at any period since the last census. They would, therefore, see that more house accommodation was imperatively required.

Mr. Jos. CowEN, jun., said there were other towns that had laboured under the same complaint of want of houses as Newcastle, and buildings had been erected for the working men in the outskirts. The railway companies ran cheap trains night and morning to carry the inhabitants to and from their work; and he could speak from his own knowledge that the plan had been found to work advantageously to the workmen, satisfactorily to the towns, and to the railway companies also.

Mr. OLIVER did not know why they should not adopt the Act before they selected the sites.

Mr. Ald. BELL then replied. He thought they had been very nearly agreed in the views they had taken of the matter, on the whole. He had wished merely to get the sympathy of the Council generally, and to secure its appreciation of the sentiments of the

report, without going into the question in a financial point of view, the Council reserving to themselves the right to give a deliberate opinion on any point that might hereafter come before them. They had no alternative but that. If they adopted that Act next Monday they would not be able to take any of those steps for the erection of lodging houses till they had got the sanction of the Council. Therefore, he did not see how they were losing any time. He would just answer his friend, Mr. Hamond, where, in reference to lodging houses, he pointed out that the mortality was only 1 in 14. No satisfactory argument he (Mr. Bell) thought could be deduced from that fact, because who were the people who frequented these houses? They were, as Mr. Hamond told them, travellers-men in the enjoyment of health. Men about to die did not go into lodging houses. If they took the number of persons who passed through the Central Station Hotel, they might draw most extraordinary reasonings from the mortality which prevailed there. The Central Station might be visited by many thousands in the year, while comparatively few died.

Mr. HAMOND: The greater numbers the greater chance of death. Mr. Ald. Bell: But cæteris paribus, persons who were in an infirm condition of health did not go to these places. Mr. Hamond had also said that in adopting this Act they would be taxing the ratepayers for the benefit of the landlords. Why, the first effect of these operations would be to prevent those landlords from being able to let their property at all, because they were going to build a better class of houses.

Mr. HAMOND: Not for 50,000 people, I hope.

Mr. Ald. BELL, with reference to the working classes, said they had no better means of conveying to their minds their position than that afforded by the figures themselves. As to Mr. Gregson, he was one of the most fortunate gentlemen to answer, for he really left nothing for this opponent to do. He raised up a hundred objections in the first part of his speech, and answered them all at the end. He first declared that the town was not unhealthy, and then pointed out

Mr. GREGSON: Excuse me, I said there was an epidemic this year, but it does not follow there will be one the next.

Mr. Ald. BELL: You told us in the first instance the town was not unhealthy, and then you proceeded to point out what you would do in order to make it healthy. Again, you told us that £40,000 spent in lodging houses was a great job, and that you could not for a moment entertain it; and then you proceeded to point out what would be the most suitable to build.

Mr. GREGSON: On a small scale.

Mr. Ald. BELL was much obliged to Mr. Gregson, who, while raising all those objections, saved him the trouble of answering them. There was no doubt that one of the most certain tests of the

unsanitary condition of the town was its influence upon children, and the committee not only told them that, but with very great deference to the members of the medical profession in the Council, they ventured to point out what they conceived to be the cause of the fact. The report stated that in all probability the excessive mortality of infants must be ascribed to their more continued exposure to breathing an atmosphere polluted by overcrowding, want of ventilation, and the absence of the proper means of removing fermenting matter from the vicinity of the dwellings of the poor. "But," said Mr. Hamond, "you must remove these altogether from your calculation before you strike the average mortality." That would be a very fair way of dealing with the question if, in making a comparison, they removed the deaths of children from their other calculations; but if they proceeded to make any calculations at all, as far as figures were concerned, they must place both in the same category. The comparisons he had made had been by taking the same character of mortality in this town with the others with which he had made the comparison. Mr. Wilson, in his few remarks, had reminded him of an important subject. That was the smoke nuisance, and, both as a manufacturer and a coal owner, he would remark that it was a matter deserving the serious attention of the Council. He was not prepared to say what effect it exercised on the public health, but of the wretchedness and discomfort attending the dilution of the atmosphere there could be no doubt. Now, of all the ills that human flesh was heir to, probably there had been more experiments directed for the cure of that evil than for any other. He himself had made a great many experiments, and expended some money, and the conclusion he had come to was that any fire might be made to burn without giving out smoke, but he had also found that none of these fires were carried on without giving out an immense quantity in any system of firing, unless accompanied by some means of stoking furnaces entirely independent of the workmen themselves. When they had gentlemen like Earl Vane and the Earl of Durham extensively adopting means for the cure of that great evil, he trusted the Council would see the necessity of having some proper means applied generally to the furnaces in Newcastle. The motion, as amended by Mr Sanderson, was then unanimously carried, Mr. Hamond having withdrawn his opposition.

THE HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE HOIST BILL.

The TOWN CLERK said clauses had been introduced into the bill in the House of Lords, subject to amendment afterwards in the Commons if they were not entirely satisfactory. He read the alterations in the bill referring to the situation of the works for the hoist, and on being put to the Council the bill, as amended, was unanimously agreed to.

THE GAS COMPANY'S BILL.

Mr. HAMOND introduced the following report from the Gas Committee:

Your committee beg to report that they have had a deputation from the directors of the Gas Company waiting upon them, regarding their great difficulty in reducing the sulphur in the gas to the standard of 15 grains per 100 cubic feet, as fixed by the Company's Act of 1864.

The deputation went most fully into the subject, and concluded by requesting the committee to recommend to the Council their permitting a clause to be inserted in the Gas Company's Bill, now before Parliament, extending the quantity of sulphur from 15 to 20 grains per 100 cubic feet.

Your committee have carefully considered the request made to them, and finding that no gas company is compelled by Parliament to supply gas so free from sulphur as 15 grains per 100 cubic feet, and wishing further to show to the company that they are always disposed to treat them fairly, recommend to the Council the propriety of sanctioning a clause allowing for the future that the Gas Company should supply gas to the borough of a quality not exceeding 17 grains of sulphur per 100 cubic feet, in lieu of 15 as at present. Your committee are also of opinion that, as a consideration for this concession, a clause should be inserted in the said bill fixing 10 cubic feet of gas as the quantity to be consumed each time that a trial is made by order of the Council to test the purity of the gas.

Your committee have pleasure in reporting that should it be the pleasure of the Council to confirm these recommendations, that the Gas Company consent to and accept them as a fixed settlement for their future supply. CHAS. F. HAMOND, Chairman.

The bill was going before the House of Commons at an early day, and it was desirable that the Gas Company should have their decision at once, He paid a tribute to the manner in which the company had met them on the question, and expressed his willing ness to draw up the two clauses with the solicitor.

Mr. GREGSON Seconded the adoption of the report, and expressed his satisfaction with the arrangement come to.

Mr. WM. STEWART complained of the impure nature of the gas supplied to his premises.

The report, however, was ultimately adopted without opposition.

THE MAGDALENE HOSPITAL BILL.

The

Mr. Ald, SILLICK stated that since last meeting of the Council, the Magdalene Hospital Bill had passed through the House of Commons as an unopposed bill, and had been altered to conform to the requirements of Lord Redesdale as Chairman of Committees of the Upper House. It now remained for the Council to make an order "That a print of the bill be sealed under the common seal of the Corporation, subject to such alterations as Parliament may require." material alterations were 1st. The provision of fifty extra free sittings in the chapel, besides the 100 now existing as free, and 270 sittings for the scholars attending St. Thomas' Schools, and sixteen for the brethren hereafter to be appointed in the hospital. 2nd. That the cost of building the Freemen's Hospital should be a charge upon the real estate of the charity, instead of coming out of the allowance of £500 a year to the freemen. This would benefit the freemen to the extent indicated. which Lord Redesdale required. 3rd. The payment of the three existing brethren was defined to be

[MARCH 20,

£100 a year to each, and the increase in the number of brethren would commence immediately the bill became law. He moved accordingly.

Mr. JOSEPH COWEN, jun., asked if there was any opposition to the bill.

Mr. GREGSON replied that there was not.

Mr. HAMOND seconded the adoption of Mr. Ald. Sillick's resolution, and advised that an eye should be kept upon the bill in its progress through the House of Lords in the event of any opposition arising.

to

Mr. Ald. HEDLEY stated that he had heard that the vicar intended oppose it there.

The resolution was then unanimously adopted, and the Council

rose.