way of being accountable was for the baths to be publicly let. Were they to be told, as Mr. Hamond would have them believe should be the case, that parties applying for a bath were to be turned away from the doors?

Mr. HAMOND: I never said so.

Mr. GREGSON: You said parties might apply for a bath, and that the bath-keeper might have certain parties whom he considered favourites.

Mr. HAMOND: I said that, assuming the places were let, the Council would have no power to dictate to the tenant, as to whom he should give the baths.

Mr. GREGSON thought it was perfectly incomprehensible that a man should have an interest in keeping away certain parties. Were they to suppose that a man would be so ridiculously foolish as to turn away his customers? He begged to second Mr. Ald. Bell's proposition.

Mr. Jos. CowEN, jun., desired to know whether the letting included the Turkish Baths?

The MAYOR They are let.

Mr. HODGE asked whether or not the Baths had been opened recently on the Sunday morning, as they were some years ago, till nine o'clock. Some time ago, he moved in the Finance Committee that they should be so opened. He had no doubt whatever that the great profit of the Northumberland Baths, at all events, was made on the Sunday mornings. (Hear, hear.)

Mr. Ald. NICHOL: The Northumberland Baths are open on Sunday mornings.

Mr. HARLE: Are the others?

Mr. HAMOND: No, they are not.

Mr. HARFORD said one cause of the failure which had not been alluded to was the inadequate supply of water. He did not know who was to blame for that. He had gone at least a dozen times, and could not get a bath, because there was no water. He mentioned that as to the amount of money lost, because it had to be taken into the estimate. It was, he thought, quite possible to have the supply of water complete for all purposes, and thus prevent them from losing so large a per centage as they had done. Perhaps the committee were not aware of that fact. It was the Northumberland Baths that he particularly alluded to. The motion of Mr. Ald. Bell, he thought, ought to be supported.

The

Mr. SANDERSON said that with reference to the Northumberland Baths, he was about to ask a question relative to the water. Northumberland Baths was one of those establishments to which the Water Company were bound to supply water at a limited amount, but it was provided that one-third of those baths should be devoted to the working classes. He found that that had not

been done, but that in reality they were the Baths of the higher classes of the town. The rates charged there were considerably higher than at the other Baths. They were, therefore, not Baths and Wash-houses within the agreement made between the Corporation and the Water Company with reference to the provisions contained in the Act of Parliament. They supplied water to the whole of the Baths and Wash-houses at a price considerably less than it actually cost them, but, as there were several, they had not thought it worth while hitherto to make any extra charge. He admitted that recently there had been a deficiency of water, but that had now been remedied. As to the propriety of letting these Baths he had very great doubts. He thought a very great improvement might be effected by a change of management. He asked, however, whether the Northumberland Baths were to be considered as private Baths, or as the Baths of the people? They supplied the water under the provisions of the Baths and Wash-houses Act, which rendered it necessary that one-third of those Baths should be devoted to the working classes. If they were to be treated as private Baths, the Water Company could not afford to supply water to them at the same rates as at the other places.

Mr. Ald. HEDLEY: I suppose the Finance Committee will give this a trial for a few years?

Mr. Ald. BELL replied that they merely intend to give it a trial. With regard to their shutting the doors of these Baths from the working classes, he reminded Mr. Hamond that one of the arguments that he wished to adduce in favour of letting them was that the interests of the manager would run in the same direction as those of the persons who used them; and they might reasonably expect to find them more generally resorted to than was the case at present. Besides, while their Act of Parliament provided for the working classes, he was not aware that there was anything which restricted the use of those Baths to the working classes. He was not aware that if the maid servant of any gentleman present was to present herself at the Bath-houses, the manager had the power to send her away. But supposing that they let these establishments, that a different principle should be introduced with regard to their management from that which prevailed in all other portions of their property, was, in his opinion, to imagine an absurdity. With reference to the water supply, he did not know how far the Water Company had power to have recourse to the extremes which Mr. Sanderson, chairman of the undertaking, chose to refer to, but it was to his mind pretty certain that any person who became their tenant would take active measures in letting the premises be conducted properly, and seeing that a proper supply of water was obtained.

Mr. SANDERSON: We should receive an adequate price.

Mr. Ald. BELL said they should leave that question between the company and the managers of those establishments. They asked the Corporation to let these Baths at no long lease. All they wished.

was that a trial should be made, believing that the step would be attended with the absence of loss, and probably the presence of some profit, to the Corporation. The two things were perfectly compatible. He left the matter in the hands of the Council.

Mr. HAMOND expressed a wish that the names should be taken down.

This was done with the following result:

FOR THE MOTION.-The Mayor, the Sheriff, Aldermen Nichol, Bell, Philipson, Wilson, Ingledew, Blackwell, Keenlyside, Ridley, and Hedley; Councillors Hutchinson, J. Robinson, Gregson, Harford, Harle, Cowen, Perkins, Pollard, Hodge, Daggett, Barkas, T. Robinson, Charlton, Mawson, and W. Stewart-26.

AGAINST THE MOTION.-Councillor Hamond-1.

DECLINED TO VOTE -Councillors Sanderson and Newton-2.

The motion for the letting of the Baths was thus all but unanimously carried.

PAVING AND FLAGGING.

Mr. Ald. WILSON moved the application of the provisions of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Improvement Act, 1865, relating to the formation of new streets to the streets undermentioned:-That such streets be sewered, paved, and flagged with the materials, according to the manner and levels specified by the Town Surveyor in his estimate of the costs attending the several works, within one calendar month, from the 17th day of February next. That such estimates be adopted and confirmed by the Council, and that the requisite notices be forthwith given to the respective owners as required by the Act.

LIST OF STREETS FOR COUNCIL ORDER.

(one side)

wide

Back Windsor-terrace! 1 in 90

Do. do. Do. do. 171 12 2

6-inch Branch Drain to each separate Property or Plot of Ground.

The Council then adjourned till the 16th instant.

2579 3 9

ADJOURNED MEETING.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1867.

AN Adjourned Meeting was held in the Council Chamber to-daythe Mayor (W. Hunter, Esq.) presiding. There were also present :-The Sheriff, Aldermen Ingledew, Blackwell, Philipson, Bell, Hedley, Sillick, Dodds, Keenlyside, Ridley, and Nichol; and Councillors Curry, Daggett, Burrell, John Robinson, Hunnam, Henry Angus, Gregson, Thomas Robinson, Dickinson, M'Allum, George Stewart, Hodge, Temple, Newton, jun., Harle, Harford, Brown, William Stewart, Barkas, Hutchinson, Morrison, Charlton, Hamond, Dove, Pollard, George Forster, Jos. Cowen, jun., and Jonathan Angus. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.

THE WARMOUTH CHARITIES.

Mr. Ald. INGLEDEW introduced the subject of the memorial of the wardens of the Incorporated Company of Merchant Adventurers of Newcastle, presented at the last Council meeting. That report, he said, was now printed, and was in the hands of the Council. He, therefore, moved that the memorial, with the report connected with it, be referred to the Finance Committee, and that himself as one of the wardens and as member of the Council, who had taken some interest in the subject, be added to the committee when the report was taken into consideration.

Some misunderstanding of Mr. Ald. Ingledew's proposition for attending the meeting took place, and that gentleman explaining that he only meant that notice of the particular committee meetings should be sent to him and the other member he referred to, the motion was seconded and agreed to.

THE CAB STRIKE.

The next business taken was the introduction, by Mr. Ald. Keenlyside, of the provisions of the new bill for re-arranging the funds and management of the Mary Magdalene Hospital. After this had been gone on with for some time,

Mr. Jos. CowEN, jun., said, before proceeding further with the discussion of this bill, they would perhaps receive a deputation from the cab proprietors of Newcastle, who wished to see the Council.

N

They would occupy some time in this discussion, and they might at once proceed to hear the deputation. The cabs in the town were altogether suspended from their regular traffic, and the proprietors would like to come to terms with the Council.

Mr. Ald. KEENLYSIDE said he had no objection to give way.

Mr. Ald. BELL suggested whether it would not be better to appoint a deputation to meet the gentlemen outside, instead of having the business stopped by their reception by the whole body.

Mr. MORRISON said he thought that would not be of any use, because, if the two deputations did not come to a satisfactory agreement, they would come before the Council.

Mr. Jos. CowEN, jun., said he believed he could explain what the wishes of the cab proprietors were. They wished to make this proposition: That the Council should allow them to go on at the old rate of charges, and appoint a deputation to meet a deputation of the proprietors and confer upon the matters complained of; that during the time the deputations were conferring the old rates should be taken, and if, after the Council had heard the opinions of the proprietors, they should choose to insist upon the altered scale of fares being charged, then they could try the matter.

It was then agreed to admit the deputation. Messrs. Cockburn, White, Howe, Brown, and Slater, gentlemen representing the general body of cab proprietors, accordingly made their way to the Mayor's chair. They were afterwards joined by Mr. Crozier.

Mr. Cockburn, who acted as spokesman, said they had attended to lay their case before the Town Council, with respect to the regulations affecting cab fares. They could not work their cabs for the prices which the Council had subjected them to, and they wished to have some remedy. They had marked out a clause in the bye-laws, which they wished to have altered; but he thought it would be better for them to write out the amendment which they wished to be made, and lay it before the Council for their consideration. What they wanted in the meantime was that the Council should allow the cabs to go on working at the old fares until they had decided the question, and if they could not retain the usual scale, steps would have to be taken afterwards. What they wished the Council to consider now was whether they would allow the cabs to run at the old rates, pending the results of the conference between the deputations.

The MAYOR said that in the meantime they could do nothing except by the vote of the Council. They had no power to suspend the rules.

One of the deputation said all they wanted was that they should not be fined for charging the old prices until the question was settled.