The London County Council have received two severe rebuffs, one from Parliament and one from a Select Committee, this week. Pheir Bill for the purchase of the London Water Companies has been rejected at the instance of the Government, and thir scheme for establishment of an adequate 'Thames steamboat service lis been thrown out by a Committee. It is true that the Government have promised a Bill of their own for the buying up of the water Companies for next' year, but it will doubtless be a Bill which will place the water supply in the hands of a newly created body, more or less representative, and not of the County Council. The water companies have, indeed. tired out the patience of everybody. They have no friends lof. All partis are' agreed that the water supply of the metropolis must be in the hands of a public body, and not of private companies, Abortive attempts have een made by both political parties, and now something will have to be done. The Government has had its lesson in the sweeping Liberal victories at the County Council election, and if they donot redeem their promise of legislation next year they will rink the loss of their political hold upon London, 'The fact that a -pers'stently Radical' County Gvuncil has done great things for London is now generally admitted; and it is a question whether the Conservative Party has done wisely in its own interests in throwing out a Bill which was adopted in a Council of about a hundred and forty members with only seven dissent fients. "There will be regret, too, at the rejection of the steamboat scheme. London's magnificent river ought to be great highway of passenger traffic to-day, as it was three hundred years ago; and private enterprise has lamentably failed ts supply it with an adequate or even a decent steamboat service, 29th March.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.