§ MR. J. ROWLANDS (Finsbury, E.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade, whether he is aware that the Water Companies, who are empowered to make their charge for supplying water to the consumers in their houses, are at present failing in many cases to carry out their contract; whether he has any power to compel the Companies to supply water direct to the consumers' houses; and, if so, will he exercise his authority, which would cause the Companies to engage a number of the unemployed to carry a supply to the householders who have to pay the water rate?
§ MR. J. BRYCEI am aware of the extreme inconvenience occasioned to a very large number of householders in consequence of there being no direct supply of water to the houses by reason of the frost. But I should expect that in a large number of the cases the difficulty arises from the communication pipe or the house fittings, for which the occupiers are responsible, being frozen. But, however, this may be, the Companies, under their Acts, are expressly protected from liability in respect of a failure of direct supply by reason of frost. I have, therefore, no such power as is suggested of compelling the Companies to supply water direct to the consumers' houses.