MOTION FOR ADDRESS.

HL Deb 30 April 1860 vol 158 cc305-11

LORD EBURY moved— That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying Her Majesty to be pleased to direct that the vacant Site of Smithfield Market shall be appropriated in such a Manner as will conduce to the Health and Recreation of the Inhabitants of the Neighbourhood. The noble Lord said, it would be in the recollection of their Lordships that, shortly before Easter, he asked Her Majesty's Government whether the report was true that they intended to consent to a proposal of the City authorities to build over a portion of the site of Smithfield market, and appropriate it for a dead-meat market. The answer he received was that such a plan was in the contemplation of Her Majesty's Ministers. He heard that answer with much surprise and regret—with surprise, because he thought he had received assurances, both from the present and the late Government, that no part of Smithfield market would be permitted to be built over —and with regret, because the smallest I portion of open space, if it were but half an acre in extent, was of the utmost consequence in this crowded Metropolis, although to the owners of many broad acres in the country it might appear but an unimportant matter. If the Government permitted one single rood of land in that part of the City to be encroached upon, when it might be kept an open space, they would do an act of positive cruelty. He did hope, therefore, that the Government would reconsider their decision, and preserve the whole of that valuable space open. He (Lord Ebury) with others strove nearly twenty years ago to drive the City authorities to remove the cattle market from Smithfield, in which tame beasts were converted into wild ones, and ever since the City authorities had themselves been driven away, he had been watching the spot as a cat watches a mouse, and had taken all the steps he could to prevent them from re-occupying a ground which should be devoted to the health and recreation of the inhabitants. Through the authorities of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and the Rev. Mr. Rogers, who had established such admirable schools for the poor of that neighbourhood, this case had been frequently urged upon the City Corporation, and upon more than one department of the Government. In 1856 he (Lord Ebury) introduced a deputation to the noble Viscount, now at the head of the Government, on the subject of the appropriation of this space, which comprised the Sanitary Inspectors, the School Inspectors, the Secretary of Bartholomew's Hospital, and the Playground Society. They were received by the noble Viscount with great good will, and left his house with the assurance that he entirely concurred with them, and that he felt great interest in the matter. Hearing another rumour afterwards about it, he (Lord Ebury) wrote to the noble Earl who had succeeded the noble Viscount as head of the Government, and received a letter from him, the purport of which was, that nothing would induce the Government to do anything to dispose of the site of Smithfield Market, otherwise than for the health and comfort of the inhabitants. He had endeavoured, but without success, to induce the Government to take possession of the ground, and settle the question at once, because then only would there be security for its being permanently kept open for the benefit of the public. A question had arisen whether the site, after it ceased to be a market, reverted to the Crown or remained to the Corporation. The law officers of the Crown had been consulted, and had declared there was no doubt that the site actually belonged to the Crown. The Corporation, although they demurred to that opinion, could not bring forward any reason for disputing the claim of the Crown. They had, however, made various attempts to appropriate the whole or a portion of the site to the erection of a dead-meat market, or to other purposes, and a good deal of correspondence had passed between them and the Government of the day on the subject. Now, if this ground, which was formerly used as a cattle market only on certain days of the week, was to be appropriated for a dead-meat market, and partly built over, it would be like the unclean spirit who had been cast out returning there with seven other spirits worse than himself, and the last state of that place would be worse than the first. A Committee was appointed in 1854, of their own body, by the then Government, composed of Mr. Cow per, Mr. Brandt, and Mr. Massey, all distinguished Members of the present Government. The Committee said they were of opinion that the site of the market should be kept clear from buildings, and strong reasons could be given for their arriving at such a conclusion. It was stated recently in the other House that forty boys had been taken into custody by the police and committed to Bridewell within the year for playing at "tip-cat" and "rounders" in the public streets; but unless some playgrounds or open spaces were provided in these wretched localities the poor children would be prevented from having any healthful out-door exercise, and from enjoying the very few happy moments of their not very happy existence. To deprive them of such recreation, or if they did attempt the enjoyment of exercising their youthful limbs in running and jumping to send them to prison was absolute cruelty, and it was not surprising that when boys, who had been debarred from these enjoyments, grew up, they should be unhealthy, discontented, and miserable. He could not understand why the authorities of St. Bartholomew's Hospital did not petition against the proposed building; and he was afraid some kind of influence had been exercised over them. It was almost impossible to struggle successfully against the Corporation of the City of London, for when they had determined to do any particular thing they were always able to accomplish it somehow or another. But, as this was a question of public health, he hoped the Government would he induced to reconsider the unfortunate decision to which he understood they had come, and that they would preserve as much of the site of Smithfield market as they possibly could from the encroachment of buildings. He did not know what legal difficulties were in the way, but let it once be known that Her Majesty was willing to waive her rights in order to keep Smithfield as an open space for the recreation of the poor in the neighbourhood, and the Corporation of the City would not dare to go to law upon the subject. The noble Lord concluded by moving his Address.

EARL GRANVILLE

was understood to say that it was all very well for the noble Lord to say that the Government had failed in their duty in not securing the site of Smithfield; but in fact a compromise had been entered into between the Government and the Corporation of the City of London subject to the approval of Parliament, whose assent would be asked to a Bill introduced for that purpose. Under those circumstances it would be improper for the Government to depart from the arrangement that had been come to, by which a large portion of the area of Smith-field would be kept free from buildings, in order to afford the inhabitants of the neighbourhood the benefit of fresh air. The noble Lord should remember that the City of London had expended large sums of money upon the locality and were entitled to a voice in the disposal of the ground. He hoped, therefore, that the noble Lord would withdraw his Motion for an Address to the Crown.

THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY

said, the answer of the noble Earl was most unsatisfactory. He protested against giving up one square inch of the site of Smith-field market to be built upon, and maintained that it was the duty of the Government, from a regard to the interests of public health and public morality, to resist to the utmost any encroachment on the part of the somewhat arrogant Corporation of the City upon the present open area. On what ground was any portion of the site to be built upon, interfering as such a proceeding would do with the enjoyment of 10,000 persons resident in a very crowded part of the metropolis? For years past Committees and Commissions had been inquiring into the sanitary condition of the people, and every Report that had been presented stated that open spaces affording the means of fresh air, ventilation, and exercise were essential to the health of populous towns and cities. Now, however, in a part of that vast City, surrounded by every noxious influence engendering disease and death, there being an opportunity of preserving such an open space, it was proposed to give it up to this Corporation, to be covered with a dead-meat market. It had been said in favour of the salubrity of a dead-meat market, that butchers and their families never died of consumption. Perhaps not; but it should be remembered that butchers and their families took good care to eat plenty of fresh meat every day. That was a very excellent preventive which poor people had not the means of obtaining, and therefore they could not withstand the effects of the pestilential atmosphere which surrounded them. He would give their Lordships some idea of the state of the population bordering on Smithfield, to enable them to judge how indispensably necessary for the comfort, health, decency, and order of these unfortunate people it was that this area should be preserved free from buildings. The rev. incumbent of St. Peter's, Saffron Hill, adjacent to Smith-field, stated that his district, which was only 300 yards in length by 200 yards in breath, contained a population of 10,000 souls; and that was only a sample of the crowded state of the whole surrounding neighbourhood. All sorts of manufactures and processes, which required an open space in their vicinity to admit of fresh air, whereby the health of the inhabitants might be preserved, were carried on in that locality. The whole of the district in question was beset with slaughter-houses, which, it was well known, engendered fever and other diseases. It was full of what were called gut-spinning manufactories, than which nothing could be more offensive. There also were many skin-dressing and bone-boiling establishments, and knackers' yards. He did not know whether the noble Lord opposite had ever been to a knacker's yard, and knew the effects it produced on his nose, his feelings, and general physical system. In short, there was a combination of almost every element of evil influence surrounding the population of this district; and, as the opening of Smithfield market had been a perfect godsend to them, the building of it up would be a downright curse. In his opinion the space should be laid out in walks, planted with trees, shrubs, and flowers, in order to serve as a place of recreation for the population in that district, who had at present two or three miles to go for a mouthful of fresh air. It was established by universal testimony that a very large proportion of the intoxication which prevailed among the population of London arose from the state of the localities in which they lived, the foulness of the atmosphere they breathed, and the effects it produced on their general system, necessitating the resort to stimulating drinks in order to keep up the very sensations of vitality. Place the people in a proper sanitary condition, and they would reduce at once seven-tenths of the intoxication and crime which prevailed throughout the kingdom. But this was not all. Their Lordships must recollect that in the immediate vicinity of Smith-field was St. Bartholomew's Hospital, making up 500 beds, to the salubrity of which a free open space would be of incalculable service. The Corporation of the City of London were the trustees and guardians of the funds for the benefit of this Hospital, and were therefore in a manner autocratic in its management; so that the Hospital could not petition against this Bill; but he could adduce the testimony of many of the medical officers of that institution to the effect that fresh air would be of the greatest value to the recovery of their patients, and, without that, cures which might have been effected could not be looked for. They had also to consider the health of not fewer than 1,000 boys, who were congregated together in Christ's Hospital, at that very age when bad air was most injurious to their physical well-being. There were also two prisons in the immediate neighbourhood — Giltspur Street Compter and the Old Bailey—where the bad smells of Smithfield were peculiarly offensive, and where a double punishment was inflicted on the unfortunate inmates, ill-health being induced by confinement in such an atmosphere, and, thus depriving the inmates of the means of subsistence when their term of imprisonment had expired. If these considerations were duly weighed, as he had no doubt they would be, their Lordships would hesitate before they assented to provisions which would be essentially detrimental to the interests of the population, and be largely productive of ill-health, vice, and immorality in the City of London.

EARL GRANVILLE

said, that neither he, nor the Government of which he was a member, underrated the importance of preserving a large open space in so crowded a neighbourhood; but the only question under the consideration of the Government was, whether a small part of the site which had been purchased by the Corporation for the enlargement of the market should be given up for a dead-meat market?

Motion, by leave of the House, withdrawn.