SELECT COMMITTEE MOVED FOR. (Hansard, 18 February 1862)

§ MR. BRADY
said, that he rose to move for a Select Committee to inquire into the best means of utilizing the sewage of the cities and towns of England, with a view to the reduction of local taxation and the benefit of agriculture. He said that he regarded this as a subject of great national importance, but that there were several preliminary points which ought to precede its consideration. Firstly, it should be determined whether the sewage of cities and 453 towns was a valuable commodity, suited for agricultural purposes and likely to improve the land; secondly, which would be the best and cheapest method for carrying the sewage on to the land; thirdly, what would be the value of the sewage per ton, and further, whether the engineering difficulties could be overcome; for if they were considered insurmountable, to incur expense would be useless. The problem was one which it was absolutely necessary to solve. Both in a social and sanitary point of view, if some means could be devised of utilizing sewage, the greatest advantages would be obtained. As matters now stood, the most fearful results bad followed the neglect of the sewage question. Death stalked abroad in our courts and alleys, and many a strong man had been swept away by typhoid fever, the seeds of which had been sown when be was passing through them. He rejoiced that the great sewage works of the metropolis were progressing; and he expressed his firm belief that if those works proved successful, the example would be followed by every town in England, and London itself would be made one of (he most healthy cities in the world. Why, he asked, had not this question made progress? The House in some measure was at fault, for on looking at a report of the metropolitan commissioners of sewers, which had been printed by order of the House, he found that Mr. Wheatstone reported that the utilization of the sewage, except upon the principle of solidification, was an engineering and commercial impossibility. The fact was, that at that time Mr. Wheatstone had a patent for a process of solidification, which, as he had always been taken as an authority on the subject, was, to say the least, a most unfortunate circumstance. What, he asked, had been the consequence of a persistence in the present system? Why, that the waters of every river upon which a great town was built had been rendered poisonous, whereas, by the adoption of a system of utilizing the sewage thousands of pounds a year might be gained, and the water preserved pure and wholesome. Professor Liebeg had stated in one of his works, that if England wished to continue an agricultural country, she must avail herself of all the sewage of her great towns; and Dr. Purkins, guided by calculations which had been made by Professor Playfair, had stated that it was incontestible that the value of the sewage of England was no less than £93,283,000 a year. The gra- 454 dual decrease in the production of the corn-growing districts was a proof that a process of utilizing the sewage of towns was most necessary. It was supposed that the supply of guano would not last more than twenty years, and the time was come for providing a substitute. He saw the noble Lord at the head of the Government in his place, and as he knew the noble Lord was capable of mastering any subject, whether small or great, with which be bad to deal, he would read an extract from a speech which he addressed to the Agricultural Society at Lewes in 1852. On that occasion the noble Lord said— But, gentlemen, I cannot but think that the progress in chemical science, and the application of that science to practical agriculture, may lead to something which will render you less anxious and solicitous about land; and that, instead of sending to the other end of the world for manure, we shall find something nearer home for the purpose. The dirt of our towns ought to be on our fields, and we ought not to allow decomposed substances in our towns to pollute the atmosphere, corrupt health, promote disease and pestilence, and destroy life. I am sure, if a system could be devised whereby substances which are noxious could be utilized, not only the health of the towns' population would be greatly improved, but the agricultural interest would derive great pecuniary advantages from the change.

§ MR. POLLARD-URQUHART
said, he begged to second the Motion.

MR. COWPER
said, that the utilization of sewage—that was, the removal of it from towns for the purposes of agriculture—had long been a problem which persons interested in the sanitary improvement of towns had endeavoured to solve. The late Board of Health had made many inquiries and valuable reports upon the subject, but hitherto very little progress had been made; for although the sewage of small towns under special circumstances could be advantageously applied to agriculture, as in the cases of Rugby and Watford, yet with regard to large towns, excepting the very remarkable and peculiar case of Edinburgh, science had failed in finding any system which was entirely satisfactory. He was not very sanguine that this branch of engineering and sanitary science would be likely to obtain much assistance from the labours of a Committee; yet since the hon. Gentleman was willing to undertake that inquiry, and as he bad shown by an elaborate speech that the subject was one requiring investigation, he should not object to the appointment of a committee, and 455 he sincerely hoped that some important result would follow its inquiries.