THE WATER SUPPLY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 48, 25 January 1938, Page 8

THE WATER SUPPLY.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Your correspondent, signing, himself “Nutritionist,” makes light of what is really a matter for serious concern. It would be interesting to learn in which locality he resides, as it is fairly evident that certain parts of the city are more affected than others. i notice that he doesn’t give any indication of his address. My address is at the bottom of this letter, and “Nutritionist” is quite welcome to a cup of tea at my home, if he still feels like it after smelling the steam from the kettle (so much for his boiled water!). Personally, I shall use tlie water obtained at great inconvenience, per medium of cycle, against a raging gale, a pail of artesian water in one hand, the other hand endeavouring to gain a little purchase on one handlebar. - Regarding his statement that we have a Mayor and city engineer quite capable of handling the situation, I might state that nearly a week ago I rang the city engineer’s office with the view of assisting them to localise the trouble. Incidentally, I suggested that they might reasonably take a leaf out of Napier’s hook during the ’quake, when artesian water was distributed around various points of vantage in large tanks for citizens to help themselves, and refilled when empty. The tanks need not even be as numerous as pillar-boxes. Now, surely, if out of all that chaos what was left of Napier’s City Fathers could organise such service, I respectfully suggest that something similar might reasonably he expected here. —I am, etc., AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM. 5 Marne Street, Palmerston North, January 24, 1938.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —The city engineer, according to your report in Friday’s issue of the “Standard,” “expressed the opinion that the smell in the water supply arose from the decomposition of minute and innocuous organisms.” I think the engineer has been misreported and the preposition following the word decomposition should be “by.” That is to say, these miliute organisms are causing the decomposition of other matter in the water and the change ill the matter decomposed is responsible for the gases which cause the taint and smell in the water. To suggest that the organisms were in a state of decomposition would be to assume that these minute organisms were dead and were being decomposed by other organisms which is of course just moving in a circle. If what I assume the engineer said is correct, that is “decomposition by minute organisms,” I am quite in agreement with the engineer. But the place where most of the decomposition takes place is in the dam itself and the matter decomposed is the accumulated vegetable matter therein. That doesn’t dispose of the fact that there may be a layer in the 21-in. main and that decomposition is also taking place there. The fact of the inlet being, as the engineer says, five feet only below the surface of the dam does not prevent silt from entering the pipes when the stream is in flood, especially the flood which took place in December and which I described in a previous letter. All flood water carries silt right to the surface, and as I stated matter would be disturbed which would have been better left undisturbed- Further, when a length of pipe line of a larger carrying capacity is inserted between, or linking up two lengths of smaller carrying capacity, in process of time the larger pipe will be silted up till its carrying capacity only equals the two smaller lines. It appears to me the laying of the twenty-one inch main was largely a waste of public money. At any rate I think most people will agree to the following two statements. First that the ratepayers were wise in turning down the recent proposal to spend something over £IOO,OOO in increasing the storage of water (and incidentally, of decaying vegetable matter) in the Tiritea; and second that that £3OOO which was recently devoted to tho extending:' of 'the twenty-one inch main where it can do no good would have been more sensibly invested in a scheme for cleaning out the dam. The people have a right to clean water. It is rather interesting that already attempts are being made to exploit the situation. I notice a scribe in to-night’s “Standard” telling the people to put a little lemon and honey in the water and it will he all right. (Like the old dodge our mothers played with the sugar and castor oil.) I have a shrewd suspicion our nom-de-plume friend keeps a citrus fruit and bee farm. —I am, etc., V. A. CHRISTENSEN. 101 Heretaunga Street, January 24, 1938.