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CARDTFF STREET COMMISSIONERS.

SANATORY CONDITION OF MERTHYR…

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SANATORY CONDITION OF MERTHYR TYDFIL. Mr. T. W. RAMMELL, superintending inspector, has just published his Report to the General Board of Health on a Preliminary Inquiry into the Sewerage, Drainage, and Supply of Water, and the Sanatory cpo lition of the inhabi- tants of the town of Merthyr Tydfil." He commences by adverting to the period when the inquiry was made; and gives a history of the proceedings at the public meeting and other matters connected with his inquiry .—all of which have already been fully reported in our columns-and then passes on to a general description"of the town — its climate and fall of rain"—its soil and geological strncture"-early his- tory, and its population, which he says consists of,- 1. Ironmasters (four in number), their agents and work- men; and- 2. Such professional men and tradesmen as are necessary for supplying the wants of the former. There are no men of middle station, none of the ordinary class of" residents who are to be found, more or less in number, in every other town in England, hoivever they may be discon- nected from the ordinary commerce of the place. To such all extent is this the truth, that it not only appears palpable upon a casual glance at the town and its inhabitants, but it was stated before me in evidence by more than one witness that, whenever a man md,le a little fortune or even a sufficiency for the supply of his future days, he tuok leave of the town of Merthyr, and settled in some other more agreeable or more healthy place. I have made these observations because I thiuk they will account for the miserable condition of affairs, as regards comfort and health, which the town of Merthyr exhibits, and for which it has almost become proverbial, From a small village" it has in half a century grown into an extensive town with a fluc- tuating and busy population of more than 4 >,000 inhabitants, but without the existence of a single regulation promotive of the good order or well-being of the community, or a single consti- tuted authority by whom such regulations, if existing, could be carried into etiuct. In a word, for all intents mid purposes of civic government, dill is as destitute as the smallest rural village in the empire. The public buildings, namely, Churches, chapels, and police-court-are then enumerated; an,1 the local govern- ment described after which the MORTALITY of the district is dwelt upon in forcible ter.ns. Tables are introduced which present an alarming position of vital statistics. The opinions of Mr. James Probert, surgeon to the Plymouth Iron Works, of Mr. T. J. Dyke, and Mr. J. L While, are also given, —the latter gentleman observing that the high rate of mortality at Dowlais is due in a great measure to the deaths uf children under four years of age." 'I SYSTEM OF RATING. Of the 7000 and upwards of houses in Merthyr Tydfil, inc'u- ding the whole town, there are about 6000 that are not rated at all to the poor: these will vary in rental from 3s. a month to 14s. a luouth. 1\1r. B. Lewis thinks that 7s. per month would be a filir average rental for tiiese houses, taking 13 months in the year. It has been hitherto the custom, aud indeed an understood rule, that any man deriving his whole subsistence from his lahuur-that having no properly—-should nut be rated to the poor, if he live in an ordinary cottage. Anybody owning any properly, however small, would be rated :— The number of houses rated in the town of Merthyr Tydfil are 1117; and their rateable value 1:19,4J3. Mr. Le, is Lewis, V'Ce-Chairman to the Board of Guar- dians, (AC see) does not approve of the system of rate and intimates that if the owners of all cottages were rated to the poor, it would relieve the present rate-payers to the extent of £40ùo per annum. Tiie present rate-payers are obliged to pay the county-rate (amounting annually to £1.t.>J) for these cottages, which do not contribute anything. WAGES. Mr. Crawshay gives the following statements of the average wages of various classes of workmen in the years 1810 aud 181S) respectively Average Wages for Average W ages for 1810. 1819. £ s. £ s. Finers 7 o per month. 4 0 per mouth. l'uddlers 6 0 3 10 Oittosc-eundhiitid.. 3 10" 2 10 „ llallers 7 0 „ 5 0 Rollers 10 0 and £ 21 5 to ai-il C L 5 Otm.tjm 3 Oandi. 10s. Blast-furnace 4 11 „ Engineers 4 1G „ 3 0 Miners 3 10 2 10 „ Colliers 4 lO" 3 0 „ The rollers getting the XIO per month are rolling bars, and the rollers gettiug the per month are rolling rails the roughers-down also in the same way. POOR RELIEF. There is no workhouse attached to the union, and conse- quently none but out-door relief. The number of paupers re- lieved annually is about lU,0J0 or 13,000, and appears to be on the increase. The quarterly abstract for the quarter ending the 25th March, 1818, shows a total of 4 988 paupers relieved during that period, being an increase of 14 18 upon the corresponding quarter ia the preceding year, at an expense (exclusive of euuuty rate) of £ 4359, being an increase of £ 1181 upon the correspond- ing quarter of the preceding year. The workmen employed in the various iron-works pay ljd. out of every pound of their earnings to the medical fund. The surgeons are at some of the works paid the whole sum thus stopped; in others they receive a certain determinate sum, and the cost of mediciue, house-rent, &c., is defrayed by the pro- prietors. In some of the works also there is a sick-fund, to which each man contributes a certain amount out of every | ound earned. During sickness they receive a weekly allowance out of this fund. INCREASE OF DRUNKENNESS. The inspector state! that" taverns and beer-houses are very numerous and add) a startling passage,— There is a great deal of drinking, amounting to drunkenness; and there is too much reason to believe that the women are the chief consumers of spirits, men generally preferring beer. Credit is given at most beer-houses and taverns, the men paying when they receive their wages. The practice of paying wages in beer-houses or taverns pre- Yailil to a considerable extent. This ii owing in great measure to the custom of handing the wages of some 20 or :10 men to a master workman, who very often keeps a beer-house. The beer house keeper, whether he be master workman or not, supplies the silver to change the notes or gold, alld every in all is expected to pay a certain sum, or to drink an equivalent quantity of beer or spirits, for the accommodation. DWELLINGS OF THE WORKING CLASSES. Generally speaking, but particularly in regard to the lwo latter classes, the houses have been built without any system or regard to the disposition of neighbouring property, and, with a view of saving space, have been picked together inclose courts and alleys, having very bad ventilation, and no regard whatever to drainage. In Dowlais some 600 or 80J cottagi s have been built within the last ten years, in which it is alleged that more regard has been paid to orderly arrangements, but the effect of which, in truth, is not very palpable. Mr. David Joseph, the superintendent of the Plymouth works, also states that the proprietors of these works have been "improving their cottages a good deal lately," that is, "since the stir about the cholera but these are only exceptions or mitigations of the general rule, which is one of extreme want of order, and general discomfort. The best cottages I have seen in this place are those near the Cyfartha works, built by Mr. Crawshay. DRAINAGE AND CLEANSING. The condition of the drainage, cleansing, and water supply is loudly condemned by the inspector, who describes the town as "crowded and filthy" with an amount of mortality higher than any other commercial or manufacturing town in the kingdom. Superintendeot Henry Wrenn states,- I have seen Liverpool, Swansea, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bath, Gloucester, Dublin, and other towns, and I think that Merthyr is generally worse than either. In respect of human excrement to be seen in the immediate neighbourhood, and in respect of indecent exposure of person, I have never seen any- thing approaching Merthyr. All these towns have their local Acts. Merthyr has none, and 1 attribute the difference to this cause. Dr. Curte, assistant surgeon to the 14th regimeut, says,- When I first came here (14 mouths ago) I could scarcely be- lieve that people could live iu such a place It is now the west end of London, compared with what it was. This is since the Commission ha, been spoken of. If something is not. done by others besides the proprietors, it will sink into its for- mer state. I speak of Dowlais. Mr. II. A. Bruce, magistrate, says, In the application of the Nuisances Removal Act. cases of great hardship occur, owing to the absence of general drainage. Owners of privies, especially, are put to an expense which must be far greater than any contemplated by the Legislature, and which, as a magistrate, I enforce, as it is my duty to do so, but with very great reluctance. This expense operates almost as a premium to parlies not to have privies, or to abolish those which they have. And Superintendent Wrenn states that in November last he served about 150 notices for the removal of nuisances, which were mostly complied with, without recourse to sum- monses; but he adds,- The accumulations and nuisances begin again as soon as re- moved, for want of a permanent system. In one case a notice was served in the Market-field in respect of a cesspool. Instead of emptying it, the parties built a drain which cost jEl.), and for want of water that is ineffectual. The opinions of persons are adduced to show that the Sanatory condition of Dowlais is very bad; but (the Inspec- tor observe,) however rude and insufficient the cleansing machinery of Dowlais, her elder sister and near neighbour, Merthyr, has no such arrangement at Air. E. Lewis says there is no regular system of scavenging in Merthyr; and the Inspector says that the question of repaiting or cleansing these bye-roads, courts, &c., depends entirely upon the owners and occupiers of the property." On the other hand, Mr. T. Davies states see page 27) that "the roads in Dowlais are generally worse than those in Merthyr." Numerous statements are put forward to show the almost total want of sewerage. Dr. Carte, after speaking of the filthy habits of the people out of doors, Mya,— I do not blame the people; they have no other place to go to. I think they are naturally the cleanest people I ever saw. They are constantly washing their houses. A Welshwoman does not cease scrubbing from one day to another. I have been often surprised at this internal cleatiliuess, compared with the external tilth. SLAUGHTER-HOUSES. The accommodation for slaughtering seems to be lamen- tably deficient. The evidence of the Rev. E. Jenkins, of Mr. Dyke, and Mr. J. L. White show that there are NO slaughter-houses, properly speaking, in the neighbourhood. "Dungheaps (says the Inspector) abound throughout the town, no care being taken to enclose the nuisance within walls." Pigsties are numerous; so are also cow. houses—producing a state of things highly conducive to disease. Then, the want of such accommodation as every human dwelling ought to have is almost universal—houses at higher rents than £10 being unprovided. Mr. J. E. Price, draper, and many more respectable tradesmen, paying heavy rents and rates, complain of the want, or deficient state, of this accommodation. In the lower part of Dowlais there are 279 houses with only 31 privies; but those privies, being undrained, are nuisances" rather than anything else. The evidence of Mr. Bruce, Mr. Dyke, Mr. White, Air. Robert Jones and others disclose a lamentable state of things, which ought not to be continued one hour longer, as the water supply" is thereby tainted with impurities of a most revolting nature. We pass over this head of the report as speedily as we can, as the details are too disgusting to dwell upon. WATER SUPPLY. The crowning evil under which the imhabitants of Merthyr- Tydtil labour, as regards their social and sanatory condition, is the utter want of provision for the supply of water indeed, not only are there no arrangements made in aid of the ordinary op- portunities presented by nature for the procuring of this impor- tant article, but the demands made upon the natural supplies for the use of the iron-works are so extensive, and the waste by soiling that which rum off so considerable, that the poorer classes are put to great labour and loss of time in collecting very scanty quantities for domestic purposes. Mr. T. J. Dyke gives a circumstantial account of the wanderings of the Taff and Morlais streams, and the various tributary matters, liquid and soil, which they receive in their course- The water used for brewing, wa-iiing. and other domestic puposes tmy be stated generally to be derived from, ht,- rain-water collected in casks and butts; 2nd, the Pond nnd the GUmnrjraneh're Canal, which i3 itseif supplied from the TaIT; 3rd, the Penydarran fish-pond, which is a collection of witer drained from a mountain brook. The water in each, says the last witness, is eminently impure and wholly unfitted, even after boiling, for human use, inasmuch as it coutains a quantity of animal and vegetable matter dis- solved in it. The springs, which are mo-tly used by the poorer classes, many of them lie at a considerable distance from the houses, and much time is occupied in going to and returning from them, besides that lost by the numerous applicants who always sur- round the springs an I have to wait till their turn comes. In summer especially this is the case; the water dripping from the spouts, or slowly aCCllmulating in small hollows around, having to be carefully collected in the pitchers or kettles. To the female members of the community usually falls the task of procuring water from clie springs, and the enormous amount of labour, inconvenience, and loss of time to which they are daily and nightly subjected in doing so, would hardly be credited iu any civilized community, but for the concurrent testimony of witnesses of undoubted credibility, by which the fact is established. Mr. H. A. Bruce states.- In dry summers many quarrels arise amongst the people waiting at the spouts. I understand they wait there the greater part of ihe night, aud that disputes often arise as to the right of priority. Many of thein come before ine as c.>ses of assault. I find most of the men's quarrels may be settled out of court, say two out of three; but out of all the women's quarrels, which have been very numerous, I have ouly known one settled out of court. many assaults take place in hich no summons is applied for. In this respect no doubt the spouts are productive of evil, besides the great loss of time. The evidence of Mr. H. A. Bruce, Mr. W. Thomson. banker, Mr. W. S. Clark, and others, show that the water supply is most inadequate to meet the requirements of the population; and in cases where parlies have wells upon their premises the water must be unwholesome, as there are cess- pools i-ll the immediate neighbourhood, the filth of which percolates through the soil. The supply of water at Ply- mouth Iron Works is better than at Mcrthyr. BURIAL GROUNDS. The same want of system w!ticit has marked the erec- tion of houses ill Merthyr, and the consequent formation of what ought to be, but cannot with propriety be called, streets, has been manifested in the selection and use of grounds for the purposes of interment. No adequate general provision appears at any time to have been made for the probable requirements of an increasing population in this particular. The consequence is, that there are now no less than 21 places of burial scattered about the town or its immediate neighbourhood and that many of these being in au overcrowded state, additional burial, grounds will have to be opened very shortly, both for parochial purposes and for the use of particular denominations of dissen- ters. ilhur of these grave-yards are held upon lease ouly, and with no so t of authority to regulate or restrict the use made of them, or to ensure the sanctity of the dead buried iu them. In one case, of an overcrowded grave-yard, the ieasehokler was proceeding to cast away the mouldering remains of its occu- pants, with the inteuliou of building houses upon it a proceed- ing attended with mauy painful and disgusting i.icideuts, and which the indignation of the excited bystanders eventually arrested. A list of the burial-grounds is then given and the In- spector afterwards has the following SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS. &C. The general conclusion I arrive at from the evidence I have heard, and the observations I have made, is, that the allegations contained in the petition presented to your Honourable Board have been completely substantiated. 1. Thai the town of Merthyr Tydfil is almost entirely des- titute of drainage. 2. That there are few or no privies in Merthyr, and that those which exist are for the most part it, a filthy condition, full to overflowing, and unprovided with the means foreihcientlv cleansing thein. That for want of privy accommodation it is the general practice to throw the nightsoil and slol s into the streets, or river, where they produce a most offensive nuisance. 3. That there is at utter want of proper provision for sup- plying the town with water, either for public or private purposes. That the few wells which exist in the town produce water of a bad qualify, either from natural hardness or from impurities permeating into it from the soil; and th it the inhabitants are obliged to send for their general supply of water to springs or spouts at distances in very many instances of from half a mile to a mile from their houses, at a great sacrifice of time aud labour. 4. That there are twenty-oue burial-grounds in various parts of the town or immediate outskirts, many of which are sur- rounded by houses, and all of which are objectionable from their close proximity to crowded neighbourhoods, and from the want of authority for their prolwr regulatlulI, 5. That all these circumstances (independently of the un- heallhy nature of the calling of the working classes materially prejudice the sanatory condition of the town it appearing that the deaths in the last seven years have averaged very uearly, if not quite, 30 in the thousand, of which an alarming proportion are of children under three years of age, and a very large num- ber of eases nf epidemic, endemic, and contagious diseases. 6. That the town is not lighled either by gas or oil; and that the streets are in a very bad condition as regards paving, owing to the bad manner in which they were originally formed, aud the neglect to repair them. That very many of tile streets, being private property, have never been paved or metalled" at all in the first instance, and have ever since being entirely ne- glected, the cousequeuce being that some of them are quite im- passable for carts in winter. 7. That there is no local Act for the paving, lighlin", or cleansing of the town of Merthyr, nor fur supplying it with water, nor any governing body connected with the place having authority for such purposes. 8. That the comfort and health of the iuhabitants would be promoted and their condition improved by—- a. A system of drainage, and art adequate amount of privy accommodation ill conuectiun therewith. b. A copious supply of pure water. c. The etlicent paving and scavenging of the streets. d. A system of lighting by gas. e. The discontinuance of interments in the present burial- grounds, aud the formation of one or more cemeteries, on a larger scale, out of the town. RECOMMENDATIONS. I therefore recommend:— 1. That the Public Health Act, 1818, be applied to the town and parish of Merthyr Tydtil. it. That the boundaries of the district to which the Public Health Act is to be applied be the same as those of the parish of Merthyr Tydfil. III. That the local Board of Health to be elected under the Public Health Act consist of 15 persons, and that the entire number be elected from the whole of the district. IV. That every person, at the time of his election as mem- ber of the local Board of Health, and so long as he shall continue in office by virtue of such election (ueing resident, as in the Public Health Act is required), be seised or possessed of real or personal estate, or both, to the value or amount of not less than five hundred pounds ( (500), or be rated to the relief of the poor of the parish of Merthyr Tydfil upon all annual value of not less than twenty pounds (£20). V. That one-third in number of the local Board of Health go out of office on the 25th day of March in each year subse- quent to that in which the first election takes place. We have now gone through this report. In our next number we shall give an abstract of his remarks on the works of water supply," and" the woika of refuse drainage." being for the information of the future local board. We mav in the meantime state that his estimates are— For the works of Water Supply .f 23.000 For the works of llcfuse Drainage 17,000 And then he says— £ 40,000 In order that the requisite funds for carrying out the works may be procured without the necessity for immedi ite heavy outlay by owners and occupiers, the Board, as soon as the proper plans shall have been prepared and submitted, will doubtless exercise the power contained in the 119th section of the Public Health Act, 1818, and sanction advances by way of loan upon mortgage of the rates, by the Conunisaioners of Public Works or others, for the full period of 30 years, the same being repaid by annual instalments of principal and interest. Assuming that these advances would bear interest at the rate of 5 per cent. per aunuro, the annual expenses of the new works of water supply and drainage may be stated as follows ANNUAL EXPENSE OF TIIE WORKS OF WATER-SUPPLY. AlInual instalmeut of prindpal £ a. d. £ s d. and interest at 5 per cent on jt'io.OOO =* 1,350 16 8 Repairs and superintendence (say) 300 0 0 -——-——— 1,660 16 8 ANNUAL EXPENSE OF TIIE WORKS OF REFUSE DSAINAUE. Annual instalment of principal and interest at 5 per cent, oil £ 20,000. = 1,005 1C 8 Repairs and superintendence (sa;) 150 0 0 -————— 1,155 16 8 Total annual expenses.. 2,816 13 4 These annual expenses would be met by the following char- ges upon the house property, the rate in each case being calcu. lated upon the amount of the estimated rental (iross amouut £ 54,050). Fur the annual expense of the works of water-supply, a rate of 7 iJ. (,¡earl) in the pound. For the annual expense of the works of refuse-drainage, a rate of 5.Jd. (nearly) in the pound. The annual expenses of both classes of works would be met by a rate not exceeding Is. OJd. in the pound. The above-mentioned sums, however, do not represent the total charge that would fall upon the town for the new works as the public portion of thein only beiug included in the estimates, an outlay will necessarily have to be incurred for the works upon private premises, which will be required to render these available. The Act provides, however, that even this portion of the works may be executed out of a public fund, raised by way of loan or mortgage of the rates, and repayable by instalments of principal and interest, presisely as in the case of the sums raised for the public works the annual amount of instalment being levied upon each particular property in the shape of a private improvement rate. Supposing such a course to be adopted, the total annual charge for the new works upon houses of the rentals of X3 and £ 10 may be stated as follows TOTAL ANNUAL caARGE UPON A HOUSE OF X5 RENTAL, FOR WATER-SUPPLY AND DRAINAGE. For water-supply— s. d. s. d. Public rate at 7 Jd. in the pound on rental = 3 Oi Private improvement rate (being annual in- stalment of principal, and interest on 20s. expended upou pipes, tap., Sic.) = 1 2! Total annual charge for water-supply.. 4 21 For drainage- Public rate at 5Jd. in the pound on reulal=2 2l Private improvement rate (being annual in- stalment of principal, and interest on 30s. expended upon house-drains, water- cluset, pan, 91 —.—— 4 0 Total annual charge for both water-supply and drainage 8 21 TOTAL ANNUAL CIIAITUE UPON A HOUSE OF £ 10 RENTAL, FOR WATER-SUPPLY AND DRAINAGE. For water-suppi)- s. d. s. <1, Public rate at 7Jd. in the pouml on rental=^5 0i Private improvement rate (being annual in. stalment of principal, and interest 011 35s. expended upon pipes, taps, &c.) I 6 Total animal charge for water-supply 7 6; i For drainnge- Public rate at 5|d. in the pound on rrnfa! = 4 41 Private improvement rate (being annual in- stalment of principal, and interest on 35s. expended upon house-drains, water- closet, pan, &c.) -=2 1 ———— 6 5j Total annual chargB for both water-supply and drainage ] | 0 The abjve charg-p, at least so far as the public works are concerned, arp calculateij upon the basis of the rating for the relief of the poor as the only fixed rule that presents itself, not that it is considered that such a distribution of burthens would be a strictly equitable one. The charge upon each houf should accord with the benefit which the occupants of each "ill derive from use of the work., and the amount of this benefit would hardly be in direct proportion to the rental. I

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