66 



believed that every month that prejudice .was passing away, 

 and that this method or some similar one would be adopted 

 in the Thames valley. On one occasion he went with a 

 deputation to the Local Government Board, saying they 

 were prepared to carry out works to the satisfaction of the 

 Board, and complete them within one year from the date 

 for adopting this process, but the scheme was refused. It 

 was a singular thing that out of the many towns on the 

 Thames valley to which reference had been made, and 

 which had propounded schemes and submitted them to the 

 Board, all had been rejected but one. The only scheme 

 which the Board consented to was that for Richmond, and 

 when the local authorities attempted to carry it out it was 

 found absolutely impracticable. 



Mr. C. H. CRESSWELL had great pleasure in supporting 

 the resolution. He believed it to be an eminently practi- 

 cable one, and entirely agreed with the decisions arrived at 

 by the Public Health Conference held by the Society of 

 Arts two or three years ago. The great evil which existed 

 at the present time was the apathy on all sides, both of 

 the Government and the people. It was not necessary 

 there to discuss the question, whether rivers ought to be 

 polluted or not, or whether people had any right to pollute 

 them, though the question had been asked, and before 

 sitting down he would take the liberty of answering it 

 Nor was it necessary to discuss the propositions whether 

 fish could live in polluted water, or whether fish was of 

 any consequence to the food of the people, or whether 

 river water was rendered unwholesome for human pur- 

 poses by contamination. Those were all matters which 

 were admitted in every civilised society. If they 

 were to go to Yorkshire, and walk along the banks 

 of some of those famous streams, or by the Clyde 



