254
RIVERS POLLUTION.
(Bishops Stortford Urban District Council), Mr. C. E. Longmore
(Hertfordshire County Council), Mr. C. G. Musgrave, J.P.
(Metropolitan Water Board), Mr. E. T. Newton, F.R.S., F.G.S.,
Dr. Parsons (Local Government Board), Sir Alexander Pedler,
K.C.I.E., F.R.S. (Hon. Secretary, British Science Guild), Mr. J.
Brooke Pike (Chemist, Northern Outfall, London County Council,
Sir William Ramsay, K.C.B., F.R.S. (President, Chemical Society,
and Chairman Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal), F. W. Rudler,
F.G.S., Dr. C. Sanders (Medical Officer of Health, County Borough
of West Ham), Dr. F. Sanders (London Hospital), Dr. Sommer-
ville (Lecturer on Public Health, King's College, London), Alderman
L. W. Spratt, Mr. R. Stables (Deputy Mayor, West Ham), Dr. J.
C. Thresh, D.Sc. (Medical Officer of Health, Essex County Council),
Mr. J. M. Wood, C.E. (Metropolitan Water Board).
The Mayor cordially welcomed all present to the Borough and pointed out
the great importance of the subject. Mr. Miller Christy suggested that although
the Conference was called together to discuss the matter from the Naturalists'
point of view, it might be well to take a somewhat comprehensive survey of the
problems of water-supply and rivers pollution, two questions inseparable in
a thickly populated distinct.
Prof. R. Meldola, F.R.S. (Vice-President of the Club), in opening the
discussion, said they were all convinced of the necessity of keeping our rivers and
Streams in as pure a state as possible. The matter was of importance and
interest to naturalists, and there was no class of people better qualified or more
competent to give expert opinion. The interests of the naturalists were parallel
or coincident with the public interest, because of the aquatic life in our rivers and
streams was a very good indication as to the purity or impurity of the water.'
The two main sources of contamination were sewage and the effluents from
factories. With regard to the manufacturer's standpoint, that was a very
delicate matter. As a chemist and a member of the British Science Guild, he
would be the last person to urge that they should in any way pledge 'their
support to the introduction of any measure of legislation which would hamper or
interfere with manufacturing operations. At the same time there could be
no doubt that the laxity of the present state of affairs led to the outpouring of a
large amount of objectionable matter from manufactures which might be
prevented, not only without prejudice to the manufacturers themselves in many
cases, but actually to their profit. Essex rivers as a whole did not suffer very
largely from trade effluents, because, speaking broadly, it was not a manufacturing
county. The time had arrived when a very strong body of public control was.
wanted throughout the country.
Sir William Ramsay stated that he was a member of the Royal Commission
appointed in 1898 with regard to sewage disposal. Recently the Commission,
had made several recommendations, which had been brought before Mr. Burns,
President of the Local Government Board. One of these recommendations
was that there should be constituted, throughout the country, River
Boards, and there would be room for about twenty such Boards. One