The practical part or working of the Commission of Sewers is much less
complicated at present than it was in the times of the independent
districts and independent commissions.
The orders for all work to be done emanate from the court in
Greek-street, but the several surveyors, &c. (whose salaries, numbers,
&c., are given below), can and do order on their responsibility any
repair of a temporary character which is evidently pressing, and
report it at the next court day. The Court meets weekly and monthly,
and what may be styled the heavier portion of the business, as regards
expenditure on great works, is more usually transacted at the monthly
meetings, when the attendance is generally fuller; but the Court can,
and sometimes does, meet much more frequently, and sometimes has
adjourned from day to day.
Any private individual or any public body may make a communication
or suggestion to the Court of Sewers, which, if it be in accordance
with their functions, is taken into consideration at the next accruing
court day, or as soon after as convenient. The Court in these cases
either comes to a decision of adoption or rejection of any proposition,
or refers it to one of their engineers or surveyors for a report, or
to a committee of the Commissioners, appointed by the Court; if the
proposition be professional, as to defects, or alleged and recommended
improvements in the local sewers, &c., it is referred to a professional
gentleman for his opinion; if it be more general, as to the extension
of sewerage to some new undertaking or meditated undertaking in the way
of building new markets, streets, or any places, large and public; or
in applications for the use and appropriation by enterprising men of
sewage manure, it is referred to a committee.
On receiving such reports the Court makes an order according to its
discretion. If the work to be done be extensive, it is entrusted to
the chief engineer, and perhaps to a principal surveyor acting in
accordance with him; if the work be more local, it is consigned to
a surveyor. One or other of these officers provides, or causes to
be prepared, a plan and a description of the work to be done, and
instructs the clerk of the works to procure estimates of the cost at
which a contractor will undertake to execute this work, or, as it is
often called by the labouring class, to “complete the _job_” (a word
at one time singularly applicable). The estimates are sent by the
competing builders, architects, general speculators, or by any one
wishing to contract, to the court house (without the intervention of
any person, officially or otherwise) and they are submitted to the
Board by their clerk. The lowest contract, as the sum total of the
work, is most generally adopted, and when a contract has been accepted,
the matter seems settled and done with, as regards the management of
the Commissioners; for the contractor at once becomes responsible
for the fulfilment of his contract, and may and does employ whom he
pleases _and at what rates he pleases_, without fear of any control or
interference from the Court. The work, however, is superintended by the
surveyors, to ensure its execution according to the provisions of the
agreement. The contractor is paid by direct order of the Court.
The surveyors and clerks of works are mostly limited as to their
labours to the several districts; but the superior officers are
employed in all parts, and so, if necessary, are the subordinate
officers when the work requires an extra staff.
According to the Returns, the following functionaries appear to be
connected with the undermentioned districts:--
_Fulham, Hammersmith, Counter’s Creek, and Ranelagh._
1 Surveyor.
3 Clerks of the Works.
1 Inspector of Flushing.
_Eastern and Western Divisions of Westminster and Regent-street._
1 Surveyor, who has also the Holborn division to attend to.
2 Clerks of the Works.
6 Flap and Sluice keepers.
_Holborn._
2 Clerks of the Works.
1 Inspector of Flushing.
_Finsbury._
1 Clerk of the Works.
1 Inspector of Flushing.
_Tower Hamlets, and Poplar and Blackwall._
1 Surveyor, who has also the Finsbury division included in his district.
2 Clerks of the Works.
2 Inspectors of Flushing.
_South of the Thames. Western Districts._
1 Surveyor.
2 Clerks of the Works.
2 Inspectors of Flushing.
_Eastern Districts._
1 Surveyor.
2 Clerks of the Works.
2 Inspectors of Flushing.
What may be called the working staff of the Metropolitan Commissioners
consists of the following functionaries, receiving the following
salaries:--
£ _s._
Chairman, with a
yearly salary of 1,000 0
Secretary, with a
yearly salary of
(besides an allowance
of £100, in
lieu of apartments) 800 0
Clerk of minutes 350 0
Two clerks of do.,
(each with a salary
of £150) 300 0
One do., with a
salary of 120 0
One do. do. 105 0
One do. do. 95 0
One do. do. 90 0
Accountant do. 350 0
Accountant’s clerk
do. 150 0
Do do. 80 0
Clerk of surveyors’
and contractors’
accounts 200 0
Do. do. 125 0
Do. do. 110 0
Clerk of rates 250 0
Another do. 180 0
Do. do. 110 0
Do. do. 90 0
Engineer 1,000 0
For travelling expenses 200 0
Surveyor for Fulham
and Hammersmith, Counter’s
Creek, and
Ranelagh districts 350 0
Clerk of works
(Hammersmith) 150 0
Do. (Counter’s
Creek) 150 0
Do. (Ranelagh) 150 0
Inspector of
flushing 80 0
Surveyor of eastern
and western
divisions of Westminster,
and of
Regent-st. and
Holborn divisions 300 0
Two clerks of
works (eastern
and western and
Regent-street),
with a salary of
£300 each 600 0
Two do. (Holborn),
with a
salary of £150
each 300 0
Inspector of
flushing 80 0
Surveyor of Finsbury,
Tower
Hamlets, and
Poplar and
Blackwall 300 0
Clerk of works
(Finsbury) 150 0
Inspector of
flushing 80 0
Two clerks of
works (Tower
Hamlets, and
Poplar and
Blackwall), with
a salary of £150
each 300 0
Two inspectors
of flushings
with a salary of
£80 each 160 0
One marsh bailiff 65 0
Surveyor of the
western districts
south of the
Thames 300 0
Do., eastern do. 250 0
Clerk of works
(eastern portion) 164 0
Two inspectors of
flushing, £80
each 160 0
One wallreeve 22 8
Clerk of works
(western portion) 164 0
Do. do. 150 0
Two inspectors of
flushing, with a
salary of £80
each 160 0
Two engineer’s
clerks, with a
salary of £150
each 300 0
One do. 150 0
One do. 100 0
One do. 80 0
One by-law clerk 150 0
Twenty-two flap
and sluice
keepers 892 12
Surveyor (of the
surveying and
drawing staff) 250 0
Drawing clerk 150 0
Two do., with a
salary of £130
each 260 0
Five do., with a
salary of £105
each 525 0
One do. 50 0
Six surveyors,
with a salary of
£100 each 600 0
Six chainmen, 18_s._
a week each 280 0
Office-keeper and
crier (general
service) 120 0
Bailiff, &c. 100 0
Strong-room keeper 80 0
One messenger 70 0
Two do., £40 each 80 0
Three errand-boys,
£32 each 96 0
Housekeeper 150 0
---------
Yearly total £13,874 0
This is called a “reduced” staff, and the reduction of salaries is
certainly very considerable.
If we consider the yearly emoluments of tradesmen in businesses
requiring no great extent of education or general intelligence, the
salaries of the surveyors, clerk of the works, &c., must appear very
far from extravagant; and when we consider their responsibility and
what may be called their removability, some of the salaries may be
pronounced mean; for I think it must be generally admitted by all,
except the narrow-minded, who look merely at the immediate outlay as
the be-all and the end-all of every expenditure, that if the surveyors,
clerks of works, inspectors of flushing, &c., be the best men who could
be procured (as they ought to be), or at any rate be thorough masters
of their craft, they are rather underpaid than overpaid.