416 APPENDIX. [No. XXXVI.C. 



he would defecate it; but if lie would, he should consider the labour 

 bestowed upon the preparation of the paper had been well spent. Next, 

 General Scott stated that all the evidence given before the Parliamentary 

 Committee showed that sewage must be defecated before it was put upon 

 the land ; and if that principle were admitted, the sewage question was 

 almost settled. That was why he thought there ought to be a penalty on 

 its non-adoption. Of course there was the difficulty and expense, which 

 often stood in the way ; and he had no doubt that if Mr. Latham could have 

 his own way, and were not hampered by the penny-wise and pound-foolish 

 principle, which he had himself condemned, he would soon have things in 

 proper shape. It has been said that he (Mr. Smee) had given no principles 

 on which the question should be dealt with ; but the fact was, it depended 

 on the principles of heat, cold, moisture, dryness, vegetable and animal 

 physiology, in short, on all the principles of nature. As to the fines of 350 

 a day being too heavy, that was but a small sum compared to the penalty 

 of 10,000 to which they were liable for a breach of the injunction 

 granted by the Court of Chancery against allowing any of the sewage to 

 Sow into the river Wandle to the injury of neighbouring owners, and 

 three such injunctions were granted against the Croydon Local Board. 

 There was a specimen on the table of a trout, one of a cartload which had 

 been killed by the poisonous matter turned into the stream, and which he 

 had assisted the Local Board authorities to trace to the gas-works, and 

 showed them how to get rid of it. This showed he had no ill-feeling 

 against them when they were willing to act properly. It has been asked, 

 why were they not prosecuted ? Perhaps it was not known how near they 

 had been to prosecution several times. He was not a public prosecutor, or 

 they would have been in his clutches long ago. With regard to the denial 

 of the statement that there had been an epidemic of typhoid fever, he 

 must say he never heard a more astounding statement. He held in his 

 hand the printed report stating the mortality, and no reference, even in a 

 note, to the fact of the epidemic, although it must have been known before 

 it was issued. An eminent medical man wrote as follows : " In February 

 three cases of typhoid appeared in the district. Two of these cases were 

 imported, and I was aware of their presence. By the end of April 

 more than 200 cases were known to have occurred." That was signed 

 " Alfred Carpenter, M.D.," and by the end of June he reported 34 killed 

 and 400 arrested. Then it was said that for ten years up to that time 

 Croydon had been perfectly free from typhoid fever, but this he (Mr. Smee) 

 could show not to be the case by reference to the returns. With regard 

 to the penalty he suggested for not making proper returns of the cause 

 of death, he considered that absolutely necessary for the security of the 

 people. On one occasion, having reason to believe that cases of fever had 

 occurred, he inquired of the undertaker where the deaths were registered, 

 and found it was at Sutton; but on sending to obtain the information be 

 was told he would have to pay a fee of 2s. 6d. for every certificate, and 

 thus it would have cost him 40 to get the information he wanted. That 

 showed that the system required alteration. A gentleman then present 

 told him that a friend of his came from Australia, and looking upon 

 Croydon as a healthy place took lodgings there, took the fever, and was 

 now in his grave. With regard to the sewage being diluted, he referred 

 to the enormous quantity of water involved, which no one but an engineer 



