§ MR. CLOUGH (Yorkshire, W.R., Skipton)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that there are 2,000 929 manufacturers within the area administered by the West Riding Rivers Board, half of whom discharge their trade effluents into sewers and half of whom discharge them into streams, and that there are fifty cases of litigation pending, some of them being taken to the House of Lords, with regard to the discharge of trade effluents into public sewers; whether he is prepared to promote legislation dealing with the admission of trade effluents into public sewers, and the establishment of a central authority for dealing with questions of river pollution and, if so, whether this legislation will be based on the Report of the Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal; and whether such a Bill will be introduced and proceeded with this session.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. JOHN BURNS,) BatterseaI am not able to say how far the precise figures mentioned in the Question are correct, but I am aware of the general circumstances of the area of the West Riding Rivers Board in relation to the matter referred to. I am desirous of introducing legislation to deal with the subject of trade effluents if possible this session; but I cannot state before and what would be the contents of the measure.