Thames river water (70-80 million gals, per day) and allowing the
treated water to flow by gravity down the Staines aqueduct, instead
of first pumping it up into the Staines reservoir. The amount thus
saved up to March 31 1921 was calculated at 20,000. As regards
the reduction of bacteria (95 %) the success was complete.
Fire Prevention. The London Fire Brigade had in 1921 a staff of about 1,900, and the gross cost of its maintenance exceeded 650,000 annually. In 1920 it dealt with 4,282 fires (besides 2,272 false alarms). An interesting part of its work is that carried on on the Thames, where it had three stations with fire-floats.
Cemeteries, Twenty-one of the Metropolitan Borough Councils had adopted the Burial Acts and seven had not. The City Corp. had a crematorium at Little Ilford, the London Cremation Co. had established crematoria at Woking and Golders Green, and the South Metropolitan Cemetery Co. had one at Norwood; but no Borough Council had in 1921 provided one. The practice of cre- mation is controlled by the Home Secretary. In 1920 the crema- tions in London numbered 1,337.
Education. The London County Council is the local education authority for the Administrative County of London. It works through a statutory committee of 50 members, including the chair- man, vice-chairman and deputy-chairman of the council, and 12 coopted members. In 1920 14 of the members were women. The total number of public elementary schools in London in 1920 was 950, with 854,979 children scheduled and an average attendance of 624,436. The expenditure was 5,972,375 on Council schools and 1,272,701 on Non-Provided schools. The Education (Provision of Meals) Acts of 1906 and 1914 empower local authorities to provide meals for necessitous children in elementary schools, and in 1921 about 29,000 children were fed in this way. The secondary schools in the county of London were attended by about 41,000 pupils and cost about 180,000. The evening institutes and continuation schools were taken advantage of by 135,000 students and involve an annual expenditure of over 300,000. The total annual expenditure of the London County Council for higher education of all kinds approaches 3,000,000.
Public Schools. To the public schools named in the earlier article must be added University College school, founded in 1830 by a group of Liberal thinkers (including Brougham, Hallam and James Mill) and removed in 1907 from Cower Street to large new premises in Hampstead. It is attended by over 400 boys.
University of London. The teaching and research work of the university are carried out in (a) incorporated colleges and institu- tions (University College, King's College, King's College for Women, including the Household and Social Science department, Gold- smiths' College, the Brown Animal Sanatory Institution, the Physio- logical Laboratory, the Gallon Laboratory for Eugenics, and the Bartlett School of Architecture) ; (6) over 30 schools of the university, including the Imperial College of Science and Technology (Royal College of Science, Royal School of Mines, and the City and Guilds Engineering College), Bedford College, London School of Econom- ics, East London College, Royal Holloway College, Birkbeck Col- lege, and the medical schools attached to the great hospitals; and (c) about 25 institutes having recognized teachers. During the World War, the university had, of course, largely to mark time; but it had in 1921 more than regained its pre-war standard of efficiency. The number of internal students was nearly 8,000, and the total number of candidates for examinations in 1920-1 was 23.563- Among the chief events in its recent history are the open- ing of the handsome new buildings of Bedford College in Regent's Park (1913), and of the new buildings of the Imperial College and University College, the opening of the School of Oriental Studies in 1917, and the establishment of degrees in commerce (1918), of train- ing in journalism (1920), and of an Institute of Historical Research (1921), and the erection of new buildings for commerce teaching at the School of Economics. In 1920 the Rockefeller Trustees pre- sented to the university a sum of 370,000 for University College, and 835,000 for University College hospital school. In this year, too, the Government offered" the university a site of II a ac. in Bloomsbury, where it was hoped that it would soon possess a digni- fied home of its own.
Museums, Art Galleries, Libraries. The museums and public galleries of London, generally closed or commandeered for Govern- ment purposes during the World War, had all been practically restored by 1921 to their normal functions. A new feature at the chief collections is the guide-lecturer who conducts visitors round one or more of the departments (free). The British Museum was greatly extended by the opening in 1914 of the King Edward VII. Galleries, to the N. of the main building. The Victoria and Albert Museum had been placed on a more autonomous basis and divided into seven departments. The collections are arranged upon strict scientific lines, with the double purpose of stimulating the designer and manufacturer, and of spreading a knowledge and appreciation of art. The Indian section now occupies a separate building in the Imperial Institute Road. In 1916 the Imperial Institute was placed under the control of the Colonial Office. On the S. side of Imperial Institute Rd.. adjoining the Imperial College of Science, is the new Science Museum, the first completed block of which was opened in 1920. The London Museum (1914) is a collection illustrating the history, life and manners of London, on the lines of the Musee
Carna valet at Paris; it occupies what was long known as Stafford House, which was presented to the nation by Lord Leverhulme in 1912, when its name was changed to Lancaster House, in honour of the royal title " Duke of Lancaster" and of the generosity of a Lan- cashire man. The Imperial War Museum, provisionally housed in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, is a marvellous record of the efforts and unity of the British Commonwealth during the war. The National Gallery was considerably enlarged in 1911, the Tate Gallery in 1910. The Geffrye Museum (1914), situated in the heart of the cabinet-making district of London (Hoxton), illustrates the devel- opment of furniture design.
The provision of public libraries by local authorities is governed by the Public Libraries Acts, 1892-1919. In London these Acts have been adopted by practically all the Metropolitan Borough Councils, and the free public libraries contained in 1921 over one and a quarter million books. Among the largest are those of Lam- beth (110,000 vols.), Wandsworth (100,000), and Westminster (90,000). Over 6,000,000 books are taken out annually by about 220,000 borrowers.
Theatres and Places of Entertainment. Places of public entertain- ment operate under one or more of four licences: (i) Stage plays, (2) music and dancing, (3) music only, (4) cinematograph. The licensing authorities are the Lord Chamberlain and the County Council. Covent Garden is still the chief home of opera; of equal importance with it in the history of the drama is Drury Lane theatre, now used mainly for spectacular drama. Additions to the London theatres were the Winter Garden, the Ambassador's, the New Oxford, Prince's and St. Martin's. The growth of the cinemato- graph was a notable feature, and the " films " or " pictures," besides numerous specially erected buildings, now occupy several old theatres. Various suburban theatres (such as the Lyric at Ham- mersmith and Everyman's at Hampstead) made a reputation for the excellence of their productions, and the Royal Victoria Hall (the " Old Vic.") in Waterloo Rd. has done admirable work in familiarizing the masses with classic English drama and good music.
The chief public flying-grounds are at Hendon, Croydon and Northolt, at any of which machines may be hired for short flights, for day trips to. places like Brighton, and for longer journeys. Exhibitions of fancy flying and racing are also held.
Port of London. The Port of London occupies about 70 m. of the Thames, extending from just below Teddington Lock to a line drawn from Havengore Creek (Essex) to Warden Point (Kent). The Port Authority was constituted by an Act of 1908, and an Act of 1920 consolidated and unified all Acts relating to the Docks and Rivers since 1828. Trinity House also exercises rights in respect of pilotage, lighting and buoying, and the City Corp. is the port sanitary author- ity. The total area of the dock estate is about 3,000 ac. (of which 704 are water), with over 30 m. of quayage. The wharf and jetties (with 15 m. of quayage) remain in private hands. Between 1909 and 1921 very considerable improvements and extensions were carried out in the system of docks. The most important of these was the new Albert dock extension (south), opened in July 1921, which includes a dock 64 ac. in area with accommodation for the largest vessels afloat, a new entrance lock 800 ft." long, and a dry- dock 750 ft. long. Tilbury docks were also being extended, and were supplemented by a cargo jetty 1,000 ft. long and a pontoon for passenger steamers similar to that at Liverpool. The warehouse accommodation at the docks was greatly enlarged, and various spacious uptown warehouses constructed. In 1913 (the last com- plete year before the World War) the total value of imports and ex- ports of London (excluding coastwise trade) was 411,792,149 (about one-fourth of the total for the United Kingdom). The ton- nage of vessels entering the port (foreign and colonial trade) was 12,916,378, of those clearing 8,131,660. The war affected the busi- ness of the port in many directions. Large requisitions were made on the Authority's facilities, space and plant; and a serious disturb- ance of all normal trade was inevitable. The tonnage of vessels entering and clearing sank in 1914-5 to 11,586,967 and 6,832,569 (a decrease of 2\ million tons) ; and the lowest point was reached in 1917-8 with 5,276,445 and 3,631,009 tons. The value of the trade, however, increased to 505,000,000 in 1917, and 542,000,000 in 1918. This increase was solely in imports, exports showing a con- tinual decrease. In the year ending March 31 1919 the total value of the trade was 819,875,330 (about one-third of that for the United Kingdom), the highest figures ever attained. That this was due mainly to a rise in price, not in quantity, is shown by the fact that the total tonnage in 1919-20 was only 15,224,787, about 6,000,- ooo tons below that of the last pre-war year.
Government. The Representation of the People Act of 1918 somewhat altered the boundaries of the London parliamentary boroughs. Since the passing of the Act, the London County Council has consisted of 1 24 councillors and 20 aldermen. The number of electors in London on the first registers compiled under the Act of 1918 was as follows:
Men
Women
Total
Parliamentary . Local Government
1,151.522 806,217
806,533 805,778
1,958.055 1,611,995
