Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

22 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

MACHYNLLET&

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

MACHYNLLET& TfrE S.\xwART CONDITION OF TITS Tow-;i.-The first Meeting o* the committee which has been organized for general sanitary purposes Was held at the Board Room of the Workhouse on Mondhy. There was a full attendance, over which Mr Sackville Phelps, and at a later hour, Mr Stronsburg presided. Various schemes for improving the Sanitary condition of the town were mooted and discussed jit length. The general tone of the meeting appeared to ofe that the system of drainage should be carried out by toe owners of property in the town and liberties, the cost to be defrayed in equal proportions, and the subsequent Expense of iramtenance to be borne by the ratepayers. Mr Stronsburg, as the plans of Mr Szlumper did not give Satisfaction to the town generally, offered to provide new Plans gratuitously, and the services of an engineer to make a new swrrey. Mr Stronsburg gave it as his opinion that complete and effective system of drainage could be car- ded out at a cost averaging from £ S00 to £ 1,000, and, we believe, offered to do the work himself at that price. A forking committee was formed to enquire further into the state of the town and the best means of carrying out a complete system of drainage, and their report was presented at the meeting of the Board of Guardians on Wednesday morning. JiOARD OF GUARDIANS, SATURDAY. —Present: Mr Edwd. Davies, Dolchradog, deputy-chairman, who pre- sided; Mr C. F. Thruston, ex officio; Mr R. Gillart, Mr G. W. Griffiths, Mr Evan Jones, Mr John Jones (Pennal), Mr John Davies, and Mr Griffith Griffiths; Mr D. Howell, clerk; Mr David Evans, assistant-clerk; Dr Lloyd and Dr D. R. Pughe, medical officers; Mr Lumley Edwards, inspector of nuisances; and Mr Thomas, master of the House. This was a special meeting, convened for the purpose of considering the report made by Mr Szlumper, C.E., Spon the existing drainage and water supply of Macbyn- "eth. The owners of property in the town and liberties Machynlleth were invited to attend the meeting, and •heir number included Mr Sackville Phelps, the Rev. ?eo. Griffith, Mr J. Foulkes Jones, Mr Stronsburg, Mr y>hn Meredith, Mr David Jones (Unicorn), Mr Richard iJoQes (merchant), Mr James Jenlcins, Mr John Lumley, Lewis Morris, Mr T. Morgan, the Rev. J. M. J ones, John Davies, Mr R. Lloyd, Mr J. J. Jones, Mr Wm. i°nes, Mr David Owen, Mr Rowland Wood, Mr B. Her- ^rt, Mr Griffith Williams, Mr David Davies, and Mr °hn Hughes. The CHAIRMAN—Before we commence the business of the meeting, it may be as well that I should briefly ex- Wain the reason why this meeting has been called. Some Soie ago a memorial was presented to the Board of ardians, signed by our worthy rector, and by a number Of other gentlemen, asking that the guardians should tkke into their serious and immediate consideration the nitary condition of the town of Machynlleth. The sub- ject was carefully discussed by the Board of Guardians, ?>d, at an adjourned meeting it was resolved that we should call in Mr Szlumper to advise us as to the best y of meeting the difficulty which presented itself, and J complying with the request which was set forth in the ?*emorial. Mr Szlumper was accordingly called in, and made a survey of the town, and has prepared a re- rt which has been laid before us, and this having been Reived by us, we decided upon calling a meeting, par- king somewhat of a public character, so that all persons J^hected by property with the town should have an op- jr.ttunity of discussing the report before us; and that we oteht be able to ascertain, as far as possible, what was opinion and the feeling of the townspeople upon this Important matter. As for the Board of Guardians, I just as well say, that we are not over-anxious to take i e matter up on our sole responsibility; we have our fields already fully occupied with our own business of the fiion. Legally, we are the only body which can, under lasting circumstances, carry the work out, but, as I said r'ore, we should be very giad to have it taken out of our Jj^ds, as we have quite enough to do already; but if we assist the furtherance and completion of any scheme jJ^ch may eradicate the evil complained of, we shall jg tnost happy to do all that lies in our power. This y v an adjourned meeting for the purpose of taking this re- rt of Mr Szlumper's into consideration, and as guard- we should prefer to be listeners, and to hear what the i^ers of property have to say upon the matter. jMr MEREDITH—May I ask who signed this memorial the guardians, besides yourself, Mr Griffith ? he Rev. G. GRIFFITH—A great many persons, besides vlelf, si'nied it. It was remitted from a public vestry. MEREDITH—I only wished to know, as this is the time that I have heard of it. FC *he CHAIRMAN—Th= memorial has appeared in the pub- Papers, and was signed by the rector and the officials of town. If you please, we will take the report of Mr rp^^per sis read. *he report was as follows -tv yth, February 15th, 1870.—To the Board of Guard- the Machynlleth Union.—Gentlemen.—In accordance nj1 your instructions, directing me to report upon the present °f the drainage of the town of Machynlleth, and to prepare "late, for improved drainage and water supply, I beg to state A have, ai-cordingly, made a survey of your town with that <1K. • Its present drainage consists of imperfect small shallow Wjls, which empty themselves into the Garsiwn open ditch. teh or o:ien Fewer is so flat and circuitous that the sewage r and other filth remains in it close under the Garsiwn where, already., one of the most vital principles of (jlstfcod, viz., ventilation; so that it is not at all sur- ^48 ^at disease should have there broken out in the form it The Garsiwn ditch lalls into the River Dovey about 1J fnfr .below the town, and but very little of the filth which first «L^° it ever reaches -itt outfall. I have taken considerable f°r a new outfall as the Garsiwn ditch should cer- C1? never be used as a sewer, and I propose that for that pur- should be abandoned. The natural drain of the country the River Dovey,-it is into this river direct that any new should bes made, unless a system of utilizing the sewage ke-adopted, which at present I am not prepared torecom- I huve therefore selected, as the point of outfall into the vey that shown on the accompanying drawing No. 2, is the nearest point to the town where a sufficient fall II be ol)tained, and it is so arranged that all the sewage fyJKd be brought to this one outfall. The whole length of the Propose shall be covered, and as glazed stoneware pipes Hi ee 'he best as well as the cheapest sewers, I propose that in It asps they should be used. The sewers which I propose to A and for which I have prepared estimates, are all shown by 68 on the accompanying drawing, No. 1. The main drain er commences at the top of Maengwyn-street, running U the entire length of that street, crossing Penrallt-street, *1) B fnmngh Garsiwn-lane, and thence taking the line of out- W 'o the River Dovey, as shown on accompanying plan No. 1. kg branch drains are as follows1. A drain commencing at bottom of Pentrerhedyn, joiuing the main drain, close to Op it passes the Town Hall. 2. A drain commencing at the Penrallt-street, near M&esglas, and joining the main itjj1. at the top of Garsiwn-lane. 8. A drain commencing lit those ol°-sely packed cottages in Pwll-llan-lane, running in Garsiwn Cottages, .joining the main drain near the bot- t iparsiwn-lane. 4. A drain commencing in Penrallt-street, tto*n of Tanrallt-street, running along the road to the station; and when nearly opposite the National Schools, across the field, and joining the main drain, a3 shown on VsJJ'Panying drawing, No. 1. These drains are laid out so that ll^court and alley can be drained into them, their sizes are l|jvrked on'the plan, and their depths on the sections, draw- »j °' 8 and 4. The cost of these works, including all neces- and gulleys, I estimate at £ 1,815. A perfect of drainage is worse than useless without a bountiful Supply; and such water supply should be made available (^°Qsehold and drinking purposes as well as for the flashing t6s*ers, I have therefore searched for the best source; the tllnt season of tke year is, however, very unfavourable for s investigation; provided, upon an analysis, the water W8 good, I believe the best supply is to be obtained from bach Brook, about 1J mile from the tollgate, from whence .e d bring the water by gravitation through a six-inch II stoneware pipe into a reservoir, to be constructed about Itdred and fifty yards above the tollgate, by the roadside, 1 iv: a sufficient level to supply the tops of the highest houses town, from which reservoir it should be distributed by Pipes through every street in the town, thus giving every i^ltK Packed court and lane that most necessary requisite of kflj > a bountiful supply of good water. The cost of this, in- 6 J!ig the p'pe line from Pandybach Brook, the construction of JW^^buting reservoir, and the laying of the cast-iron main Pipes, as shown on drawing No. 2,1 estimate at £ 1,898, S ad<lfcd to the estimate for drainage works, amounts to the £ 3,713. — I am, gentlemen, your obedient servant, W. SZLUMPER, M. Inst. C.E." Rev. G. GRIFFITH—If Mr Szlvmiper had been I¡j¡. I was prepared to ask him one question—" Why \> 8:\V"age of the town should not be utilized ?" We shall fv Sreat expense;, and we should keep it in view utilization of the -sewage would be a source of 8 "well as assisting ia the preservation of the health ^inhabitants of the town. (Hear, hear.) JWEDITH said that on Monday last, on the recom- cf Mr Goschen, tte President of the Poor-law a committee had been .appointed for the purpose 9uiiiDg and reporting whether it be expedient that the now imposed upon the occupiers of rali&ble pro- f for vai'ious local purposee should be divided between Wilers and occupiers, which would thus increase the WiT8 of the landowners. He suggested that the whole should be deferred until it was seen what Bill the t'ntnent proposed to introduce. ^V- GRIFFITH—Will that Bill bear upon the condition of a town ? i^EREDITH—It will. -OIlGAN—I should like to know where the £ .3,713, ijjJhount of Mr Szlumper's estimate, is to come from ? Sh VWELL—You will have no great Aifficulty in bor- upon good security being-given. SU "■ MORGAN —In his report he does not say a word the drainage of Cae Bach. He seems to have 1(^3 that altogether. W*IOWELL said that the question of raising the money • for carrying out a system of drainage and other d: In the town had been much discussed by the :lls, who had waited for the receipt of Mr Szlum- tit ?Port before they decided what course they should t on-5 the matter. At the last meeting of the Board, ld 110n was most cleady expressed that the works be carried out without the formation of a Board 511 the town, and so the great and chief question W .Prog-ant meeting to consider was—" Shall we form i%> Health or not?" The guardians would h Ce great difficulty in borrowing the money, which V i?t well be raised by means of a rate payable in one 6 voider the provisions of the Local Government Act, l's "aey might be repaid, with interest, over a series of k Board of Health would be a corporation, and ^j^Hiage powers would be under the control of such Vh' and the guardians would be ready to give up their at any moment providing that something was Qifther the formation of a Local Board of Health, or her feasible means of carrying out the necessary ?<w., The feeling of the meeting as to the formation of of Health should be taken. ^tlu'STON said that the formation of a Board of ft, ^'ould not tie that body down to any particular ibl RO-N-SBURG said that the guardians were clearly re- j e"for the sanitary condition of the town, and the uP°n the Board of taking the necessary the initiative in the matter. A committee of b oWners had paid for the plan and report which submitted by Mr Szlumper, and had originated & sh an<^ ^le proposed that a committee of land- L^aiiT011^ formed for the purpose of enquiring into K a"e> frame a report upon the same, and present guardians. "W. Mobgajt—I think that the ratepayers should "thing to say in the matter, for they will have to guardians. "W. Mobgajt—I think that the ratepayers should "thing to say in the matter, for they will have to Eay for the work in the end> and I think you ought to ave them upon the cfon^ittee. Mr STRONSBURG preferred that the committee should be 'confined exclusively to owners of property in the town afid liberties. Nothing would be done if they depended upon the ratepayfe^s for seeing the drainage carried out. The ratepayers were squeaking" very much already. After some further discussion as to who were to take part in any voting which might arise—landowners, guar- dians, or ratepayers—Mr HOWELL suggested that the guardians should adjourn their meeting, and that a dis- cussion, of a free and friendly character, should take place between the owners of property in the town, and that their feelings on the matter might thus be ascertained. On the motion of Mr THRUSTON, seconded by Mr GIL- LART, the meeting of the Board of Guardians was then declared at an end. Mr E. DAVIES-Now, gentlemen, the meeting of the guardians being at an end, it devolves upon you to elect your chairman for the meeting, and I now retire. Mr STRONSBURG—I move that Mr Davies retain the chair. Mr Davies declining, it was moved by Mr RICHARD .TONES, seconded by Air HOWELL, that Mr Gillart be elected chairman, which was carried. Mr GILLART, having taken the chair, invited any land- owner present to speak his opinion, and mention what views he held in order to meet the requirements for the amelioration of the sanitary condition of Machynlleth. It was clear that some immediate steps must be taken to remedy the existing evil. Mr STRONSBURG held a similar opinion, that something must at once be done, that immediate action must be taken. If the guardians would not take the necessary steps it was very probable that they might be compelled to act by a higher tribunal, and he, as a landowner, would not hesitate in taking the initiative to obtain compulsory powers if he found the least obstinacy or inclination to thwart the carrying out of some feasible scheme which would meet the present case. All the landowners ap- peared to be very backward in offering any suggestions to the meeting, and the only answer they made to the re- peated appeal of the chairman was-silence. They all appeared to be afraid to take any action, for fear of the expense, lest it should touch their pockets. Mr RICHARD JONEs-The feeling of the town is, I know, very averse to the expenditure of this large sum, 23,713. (Hear, hear.) Mr STRO-SBURG--And so am I, and I am averse to throwing it upon the shoulders of the ratepayers. If the landowners will not do anything, we must apply else- where. Mr J. FOULKES JONES suggested the formation of a Board of Health for the town. Mr THOMAS MORGAN suggested that a public meeting should be called, in order that the ratepayers and free- holders might have the opportunity of expressing their opinion. The Rev. GEORGE GRIFFITH said that it was apparent from the tone of the meeting that no difference of opinion existed with regard to the question-shall something be done, or shall matters remain in statu quo ? The general feeling was that some steps should be taken in order to im- prove the sanitary condition of the town. They all held the opinion that the matter should be taken up, and be- yond that they came to a full stop. It appeared that the scheme of a drainage system could not be carried out ex- cept under the provisions of the Local Government Act, and he suggested that the feeling of the meeting should be elicited on that point. Mr THRUSTON said that they were agreed that the town was in a great state of sanitary neglect, and that much improvement was absolutely necessary. Something must be done, that was also agreed upon, and then came the question, "How were they to do that something?" At present the guardians had no power to borrow except upon the rates of the present year, which were already heavy enough. There appeared to be no other means of carrying the matter into effect, save by the formation of a Local Board of Health. Mr SACKVILLE PHELPS fully concurred in all that Mr Thruston and the Rector had said. They saw the great calamity of sickness and disease which had broken out in the town, and he thought that no time should be lost in staying this fearful scourge, which robbed numbers of families of those who were near and dear to them. A plan had been proposed, to his mind the only practicable remedy which could be adopted, and they should now consider the most feasible way of carrying it out. The money must be borrowed from some source, and their only satisfactory borrowing powers appeared to be through the medium of a Board of Health. All looked with some mis- givings upon the expense attendant upon the establish- ment of a Local Board of Health, but it appeared to be the only resource left; and when their great object had been accomplished, and the town thoroughly cleansed, that body, its great work at an end, might be dissolved. He thought that too great an outcry was being raised about the expense, which must of necessity be incurred, but they must remember that the repayment of the loan and its interest would be extended over a series of years, and this expense would not press unduly upon the ratepayers. The health of the poor people of the town, of their own families, should surely be of greater importance and anxiety than a rate of sixpence or a shilling in the pound. (Hear, hear.) Mr THRUSTON said that taking Mr Szlumper's estimate with interest at five per cent., a rate of Is. in the pound upon the ratable value of Machynlleth, would amply meet the expenditure. Many of his friends, to whom he had spoken upon the subject, thought that Mr Szlumper's estimate was much too high, and might be cut down a great deal. Mr LEWIS MORRIS thought that the landowners and others interested should have time to think over the matter, and advised a delay of twelve months or so Mr THRUSTON—What, and let your poor people die in the mean time (Hear, hear.) The Rev. G. GRIFFITH proposed that application be > made at once for the establishment of a Local Board of Health. Mr J. FOULKES JONES seconded the motion. Mr RICHART) JONES objected to the formation of a Local Board. In many of the adjoining towns,where such bodies had been formed, there were endless complaints, and a never-ceasing expense. At Aberdovey the ratepayers had bo pay about 21,000 for a reservoir, which was almost use- less. He moved, as an amendment, That a Local Board be not formed." Sir DAVID JONES (the Union) seconded the amendment. IT STRONSBURG quite agreed with Mr Richard Jones as to the failings of a Local Board of Health. Still he thought that the fault rather rested with the ratepayers to allow mch failings on the part of their representatives. Mr RICHARD JONES suggested that a further appeal should be made to the owners of property for the improve- ment of their tenements. As an owner of property, he pleaded guilty in not having done what he ,should -have ione, but he was fully prepared and willing to meet any mggestion which might come from a committee. It would be a very great hardship upon the owners of property which was in good repair to be taxed to carry out the necessary alterations in other properties where they were needed. (Hear, hear.) A man might have two or three jottages in perfeet repair, and was it just that he should be compelled to pay for his neighbour who might have twenty or thirty small cottages in a dirty condition? (Hear, bear.) Mr THRUSTON said that the meeting appeared to be losing sight of the main point, the formation of a Local Board, or some other body to take the matter up. Mr STRONSBURG again urged the appointment of a com- mittee, and the motion and amendment having been with- irawn, it was moved by the Rev. G. GRIFFITH and seconded by Mr THOMAS MORGAN, that A committee be formed for general sanitary purposes, consisting of Earl Vane, Sir Watkin W. Wynn, Bart., M.P., Mr Sackville Phelps, Mr D. Howell, Mr Strasbourg, the Rev. George Griffith, Mr Gillart, Mr William Pugh .(agent for Sir Watkin), Mr J. Foulkes Jones, Mr G. W. Griffiths, Mr David Jones (Unicorn), Dr Lloyd, Dr D. R. Pughe, Mr Thomas Morgan, Mr William Jones, Mr John Meredith, Mr John Davies, Mr Lewis Morris, Mr David Morgan, Mr Edward Morgan, Mr Rowland Wood, Mr Richard Lloyd, Mr David Owen, Mr David Davies, Mr B. Her- bert, Mr Griffith Williams-(Skinners' Arms), Mr Edward Davies (Dolcaradog), and Mr C. F. Thruston, five to form st quorum, and with power to add to their number. Mr THRUSTON intimated that the Board of Guardians would still keep in force the ,provisions of the Nuisance Removal Act, and hoped that the committee would take imnaediate steps, and report to tke Board. The meeting concluded with the usual compliment to the chaimnan. The following extracts from the .report presented by the Inspector of Nuisances, may be taken as illustrating, in some slight degree, the advantages which Machynlleth presents as a place of summer resort Thirty houses with but two privies nine families with one ten with one; three with one fifteen cottagies with none; ten with one eight without any.; three, ditto five, ditto seven with one • sixteen cottages with one, and that very full, being used, as I am informed," say the inspector, by seventy persons; fourteen with one; eight with one seven without any five, ditto; five, ditto twenty-one with two six with one, and that out of repair two, with- out seven, ditto three, ditto two, ditto;" and so on ad libitum, with foul defective drains, and nuisances ad nauseam.

O'LLANWDDYN.

LLANDRILLO.

BALA.

CORWEN.

PORTMADOC.

TREDDOL.

LLANBADARNFAWR.

DOLGELLEY.

TALYSARNAU.

IhilJpÎttg.

Family Notices

THE GREAT EASTERN.

. ICAMBRIAN RAILWAYS. MEETING.

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FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. AMERICA.

COLLISION AT SEA AND LOSS…

ARRIVAL OF THE CITY OF BALTIMORE.

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ST. DAVID'S DAY FESTIVAL.