Sir, — In the ‘North Devon Journal’ of the 18th last, I note a report of a meeting of the Northam Local Board, which states that “Captain Sangster then produced a letter from the Local Government Board to Mr. Pynsent, which is as follows.” I would desire to point out that there is in the twenty-third line of your printed report of that meeting an error, which alters entirely the purport of the Local Government Board’s decision, through the words “approved of,” having been substituted for “opposed by.” I append a verbatim copy the Government letter: – Sir, — I am directed by the Local Government to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th ultimo, and to forward to you herewith for your information a copy of a communication which the Board have received from the Northam Local Board, with respect to the sewerage of Westward Ho. I am the same time directed to state that the Board are aware of the fact that the scheme in respect of which their sanction has been given to a loan is opposed some of the members of the Westward Ho Committee, but, as it appears to the Board, that the Committee has no legal powers, the Local Board not being authorized by the Public Health Act, 1875, to appoint committees compose in part of persons not members of the Local Board. The point now arrived at, with respect to the long deferred sanitary works at Westward Ho, appears then, to be as follows: First, the Government Board have approved of a specific scheme for the drainage, by disinfecting the sewage and conveying it in pipes to the eastward, for which plans have been furnished and approved, and estimates obtained; and have also given their sanction to a loan for carrying out the necessary works. Secondly, the Local Board have approved thereof, as shown in the last paragraph of your report of the Board meeting as follows “The clerk was then directed to order advertisements for carrying out the drainage of Pimpley scheme.” Thirdly, this — the approved and sanctioned Eastern scheme — is now opposed (as had been for years the proposed Western scheme) by certain persons connected with Westward Ho, the form the opposition has lately taken being that the Joint Committee (consisting of three members be chosen by the Northam Local Board, and three on the part the Westward Ho district, by whom and in what way elected I know not) had not given their assent. It is on this point that the Government letter appear conclusive, where it states, ‘that Committee has no legal powers.’, May it now be hoped that the long-deferred sanitary works for Westward Ho will be promptly carried out, without encountering further opposition, Yours truly, THOMAS PYNSENT Glion, sur Montreux, Switzerland, July 29th, 1878.
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
Referenced
GRO0835 Hennock: Thomas Pynsent: 1808 – 1887