Extract from Minute-book, Nov. 7, 1839. Letter C, Folio 437.
“Commissioner’s Office,
“30, Howland-street,
“Nov. 7, 1839.
“Report of the Paving Committee to the General Board, relating to the watering the district for the past year.
“Your Committee beg leave to report that for the past three years the sums paid by contract for watering were respectively:—
| “For 1836 | £230 |
| „ 1837 | 220 |
| „ 1838 | 200 |
“That in the month of February in the present year the Board advertised in the usual manner for tenders to water the district, when the following were received, viz.:—
| “Mr. Darke | £315 |
| „ Gore | 318 |
| „ Nicholls | 312 |
| „ Starkey | 285 |
which was the lowest.
“Your Committee, anxious to prevent any increase in the watering-rate from being levied, and considering the amount required by the contractors for this service as excessive and exorbitant, and even evincing a spirit of combination, resolved to make an inroad upon this system, and after much trouble and attention adopted other measures for watering the district, the results of which they have great pleasure in presenting to the Board, by which it will be seen that a saving over the very lowest of the above tenders of 102l. 3s. has been effected; the sum of 18l. 18s. has been paid for pauper labour at the same time. Your Committee regret that, notwithstanding the efforts of themselves and their officers, the state of insubordination and insult of most of the paupers (in spite of all encouragement to industry) was such, that the Committee, on the 12th of July last, were reluctantly compelled to discontinue their services. The Committee cannot but congratulate the Board upon the result of their experiment, which will have the effect of breaking up a spirit of combination highly dangerous to the community at large, at the same time that their labours have caused a very considerable saving to the ratepayers; and they trust the work, considering all the numerous disadvantages under which they have laboured, has been performed in a satisfactory manner.
“P. Cunningham,
“Surveyor,
“30, Howland-street, Fitzroy-square.”