SIR UGHTRED KAY-SHUTTLE-WORTH (Lancashire, N. E., Clitheroe)asked the President of the Local Government Board whether complaints have reached him that the main sewers of the Borough of Preston have for upwards of two years debouched into an old channel of the River Ribble, from which the tidal scour has been diverted by the Preston Corporation; that the open cesspool thus formed is a source of danger to the lives and health of the inhabitants; whether his attention had been called to the fact that the death rate of Preston is, as a rule, much above the average of the towns reported upon weekly by the Registrar General; whether a Memorial has been received by the Local Government Board from any ratepayers of Preston praying for the intervention of the Board; and what steps the Local Government Board intend to take in the matter.
§ MR. TOMLINSONBefore the right hon. Gentleman answers the question, I desire to put another question on the same subject. I have to ask whether it is only since the 13th of March, 1888, that the river Ribble has ceased to flow in its old bed; whether the Corporation of Preston have now a scheme for dealing comprehensively with the sewage of the town, and whether such scheme is now before the Local Government Board; whether the scheme provides for the construction of a channel, to be temporarily used for the discharge of sewage into the river at a point below the junction of the new diversion; whether the construction of this channel when sanctioned will be only the work of a few months; whether the following are the figures of the annual death rate—["Order."]
§ *MR. SPEAKERI do not know what notice the hon. Member has given of the question, but the hon. Gentleman is reading a long series of questions, and there is a rule of the House that questions are not to be read.
§ MR. TOMLINSONThe question on the Paper refers to certain statements of fact, and I wish to ask my right hon. Friend as to certain other facts which, 1542 I think, have a bearing on the matter. The question on the Paper is whether the right hon. Gentleman's attention has been called—["Order."]
§ *MR. SPEAKERAs the question of the hon. Member is a very long one, the hon. Gentleman would do best to put it on the Paper as a distinct question.
§ MR. TOMLINSONIf you so rule, Sir, I must bow, but I do think that in the interest of the borough which is attacked in the question of the hon. Member, it is desirable that I should have an opportunity of putting another view ["Order."]
§ *THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. RITCHIE,) Tower Hamlets, St. George'sIt may be some consolation to my hon. Friend to know that if he had completed his question I should have been totally unable to answer it because he asks as to matters of detail, which require examination, and which I have not been able to inquire into. The answer to the question on the Paper is that I received on the 13th of April last a memorial from a ratepayer and owner of property in the borough of Preston containing statements to the effect given in the question. With regard to the death rate of Preston, I believe that it is the case that the rate of mortality in the borough is much above the average of the 28 towns.
§ MR. TOMLINSONMay I put the last paragraph of my question, which has reference to the temporary arrangements for dealing with the specific matter alluded to, and that is whether the Local Government Board will consider whether they can give their sanction to the construction of a temporary outfall without waiting for the confirmation of the entire scheme.
§ *MR. RITCHIEWhen application is made to the Local Government Board for sanction to a loan to enable a Public Authority to carry out certain works, they hold an inquiry by one of their Inspectors, and a full opportunity is given at that inquiry for the views of all people interested to be expressed. No doubt all matters which have reference to the question, will be fully considered by the Inspector, and when we have his report and his recommendations it will be for us to consider what the decision of the Board should be.