History of the parliamentary contest between the Edinburgh and district water trustees and the ratepayers / by Robert Johnston.
- Johnston, Robert
- Date:
- 1872
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: History of the parliamentary contest between the Edinburgh and district water trustees and the ratepayers / by Robert Johnston. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.
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![li. Because, after supplying the necessary wants of the inhabitants and mill- owners in Selkirk, and 011 the stream flowing from St Mary's Loch, the quantity of water said to be required from the loch cannot be got. 7 Because the necessary works cannot be made for the sum of £500,000 proposed to be raised under the Bill for that purpose ;—Mr Leslie, the consulting engineer of the trust, having estimated that the cost must exceed £600,000, and may more rea- sonably be expected to be nearly £750,000. In consequence, the assessment must be raised from its present rate of Sd. to Is. 6d. per £, the power in the Bill to assess being unlimited. •3. Because the superior waters of the other sources of supply can each be brought to Edinburgh at sums very considerably under the expense of bringing the water of St Mary's Loch, and within a much shorter period. 9. Because the expenditure necessary to bring in a supply of water from either of the other districts, sufficient in quantity for any probable increase of the population for the next sixty years, will not amount to anything like £500,000, and will not, in any circumstances, require a higher water rate than Is. per £, on the data furnished by the trustees themselves. 10. Because the Water Trust have resolved to increase the assessment on shops, and the houses of the poorer classes, and also to assess charitable institutions and churches. 11. Because the promoters of the scheme have never called the ratepayers to- gether, or in any way consulted them, with the view of ascertaining their views as to the ])roper sources of supply for the city, or communicated to them the necessary information to enable them to form and express an opinion on the subject. These documents were circulated among the ratepayers during the first week of February. The mode adopted was to take the Post Office Directory, and a copy of each was sent by post to the inhabitants of all the principal streets in the Old and New Towns, many streets be- ing specially selected because they were known to be inhabited prin- cipally by tradesmen and others dependent on labour for their daily bread. None of the forms of concurrence to be returned were stamped, except about ninety to the inhabitants of one street mainly of trades- men, which were sent stamped, at the suggestion of Bailie Miller, as an experiment to see if there would be any difference in the proportion of returns from that street, as compared with others ; but after all the returns had come in no difference was observed in reference to that street. The actual number posted was about 9800. Several hundreds were returned undelivered, the persons to whom they were addressed having gone and left no address, as well as for other stated reasons. The number sent out and not returned by the Post Office was not less than 9400. There were sent back by post and otherwise 2473 signed returns of concurrence in the opposition. There was no canvass, or other means used to obtain these returns, except the circular and Reasons which accompanied the forms. They were all voluntarily returned, the per- sons sending them in paying the postage, or delivering them free, ex- cept in the case of those returned from the particular street referred to. Thus twenty-six per cent, of the persons to whom circulars were so sent promiscuously, voluntarily and at once returned themselves as concurring in the opposition. Of course the promiscuous distribution of such a number of copies of the Reasons for opposing the Bill could not fail speedily to come finder the notice of the trustees; and the alarm which was created](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24400592_0085.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
