WOOD-PIPING.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 336, 11 February 1911, Page 5

WOOD-PIPING.

To the Editor.

Sir,—Just a little space re the above most important matter. In view of the fact'that very shortly the Borough Council will be called upon to consider the best method for a water supply, a few remarks relative to the wood pipe system will no doubt be read with interest by ratepayers as well as aldermen. In installing a new system and particularly a new borough, every precaution will naturally be taken to avoid any experiment which might be disastrous from a monetary standpoint. The Australian Wood-pipe Company arc anxious that the Council should give them an opportunity of tendering for the laying on of the water. One of the chief point* to recommend wood-pipe for uses under any condition is its great economy not only by reason of its cheapness, but also because of its light freight charges, its small cost of laying down, its durability and the fact that the expenditure for upkeep and maintenance is practically nil. The pipe is constructed of staves "of timber dressed both sides and bound with galvanised steel tale graph wire, protected from corrosion by thorough and complete galvanisation, covered with a heavy coating of bitumenous composition and wrapped with Hessian cloth. Extensive tests have proved that Oregon or Redwood carefully seasoned are the most suitable timbers in point of strength and durability for the construction of the wood pipe, which, for many reasons, commands that attention and use it so richly deserves. It is fully 50 per cent, cheaper than metal pipe, and is preserved by water, not rusted or corroded by it. Acids or salts do not destroy it and fluids passing through it are not tainted or affected in any way. On account of the elastic nature of the wood it does not burst when frozen, and requires less labour and experience to lay in place than metal pipes. In addition to being the cleanest class of pipe for conveying water, it is more durable than steel or wrought iron pipes and its life equals that of cast-iron pipe. Many millions of feet of wood-pipe are in use in America and Canada, where it forms the intake and distributing means of more than three hundred cities and towns. Seattle, Washington, United States, the second city of importance on the Pacific coast, receives its water supply through wood pipes, and has just installed a wood pipe supply twentythree miles long to supplement its present water supply. Denver, Colorado, with a population of 200,000, has one hundred miles of wood-pipe m service for over 27 years, and is giving perfect satisfaction. The Sydney Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage installed four and a-half miles of it during the last two years for supplying water to the town of Camden, and the above board has been so satisfied with the test that they have recently placed an order for seven miles of piping to be used for the water supply at St. John's Park, New South Wales. The Public Works Department in Sydney has recently had installed four miles of 14-inch wood-pipes to be used in connection wtih the water supply of various towns between Woollongong and Sydney. The Mildura and Urban Irrigation Trust have decided on laying ten miles of wood-pipes in various sizes up to 18* inches in diameter. As an instance of its durability, I may say that in Gottenberg, Nebraska, United States, a wood-pipe line was laid about 1879, and is still in good condition and in daily use. Another line was put down in 1872 at Elmira, New York, and this also is in the same condition and in constant use. Let me once more emphasise the importance of taking into serious consideration the cost of laving. The local Council would be well advised to enquire carefully in Western Australia as to how they are satisfied with the Mephan-Ferguson piping supplied to Kalgoorlie. —I am, etc., J. B. Y.