New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4819, 1 September 1876, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1.

The City of Wellington Loans Consolidation Bill, introduced by Mr. Pbarce this session, passed its second reading last week. It authorises the Corporation to borrow £200,000 " for the purpose of paying off and discharging all existing debts under the provisions of " the Wellington Reclaimed Land Act, 1871, the Wellington Waterworks Acts of 1871 and 1874, and the Wellington Drainage and Sewerage Works Loan Act, 1873, "and for raising the money necessary for that purpose, or for the purposes of any of them mentioned in said recited Acts or any of them, or for any other purposes of a like nature," &c. The residue of the moneys may be applied for the waterworks, sewerage and drainage works, the two most important subjects that could occupy the attention of the citizens, for health is above all other matters the most serious question. And as we have already a comparatively plentiful supply of pure water, and when the proposed reservoir works are completed the summer supply is expected to be abundant, even under a long drought, we will, therefore, at present direct attention to the question of sewerage and drainage, which does call for some serious thought and attention. An Act was passed in 1873, authorising the Corporation to borrow £50,000 for such works, but the Consolidation Bill of this session shows that "no moneys have yet been raised under the provisions or for the purposes of the said Act," so that the Corporation has had plenty of power since 1873, but did nothing. Have our Mayors and Councillors been sleeping during part of 1873, the whole of 1874 and 1875, and more than half of 1876? We have over and over again urged the necessity of | some practical steps being taken for the health and comfort of the people. In the beginning of April last a buzz was made in the Council about appointing an engineer for the sewerage and drainage, and a motion was accordingly made in the Council, which after some discussion was lost. Next day an evening contemporary described the rosult as follows :—" Civic bodieß all over the world are proverbially celebrated for blundering stupidity, and by its decision yesterday on the drainage resolutions, the Corporation of Wellington has fairly maintained the reputation of its class. A more disgraceful determination, we venture to say, was never como to by any public body than that arrived at yesterday by the Mayor's casting vote. It is one which will justly expose this city to the contempt of the public and the animadversions of the Press of the colony. Wellington is notoriously one of the worst drained cities in New Zoaland," &9. Again, towards the end of April a resolution was passed in the Council, authorising the employment of a consulting engineer, taking the necessary levels in connection with a great drainage scheme, &0., and the matter was referred to a committee, with full power, &c, who immediately advertised for a competont engineer, " to design a system.of drainage,

and in connection with the-same to fix the permanent levels of the This looked like business. The people s hopes were raised when the committee after being in solemn conclave appointed a, gentleman to take the levels, of the streets, and the streets only, for which he is to receive by contract the munificent payment for his professional services of one-hundred and ninety-eight .pounds sterling (£198). Clearly the advertisement meant nothing, 6* it was written and read by the committee in a perfectly different light from that could possibly have been understood by the outside public; but an evening newspaper, edited by one of the committee, let the cat out of the bag, when it stated in answer to a letter by X., which appeared in this journal—" It may surprise X. to know that his labor has been entirely lost, as the City Council has never contemplated a sewerage scheme at all; whai they do intend to carry out ia a drainage scheme. The distinction between dramage and sewerage is a very great one, and in all the discussions which have taken place in the Council it has been carefully borne in mind." We wonder whether this editorial sanitary Councillor knows the difference between a dram and a sewer. He may not be aware that the water flowing in gutters can be as foul as ordinary sewao-e. And we also wonder if the Council had any serious intention of carrying out or even commencing any scheme of a proper sanitary nature. But let us look at the Act of 1873—the Drainage and Sewerage Loan Act—and it will be seen in one of the interpretation clauses that the "expression 'undertaking shall mean such drainage and sewerage works as may be constructed and carried out by the Council under the provisions of Part xviii of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1867, which includes .clauses 319 to 324 " Clause 319 vests all public sewers and drains in the Council; 320 authorises the Council to construct main and other sewers under the streets; 321 gives authority to improve sewers ; 322 gives power to impose penalties for unlawfully making drains into any public sewer or drain; 323 authorises the communicating of drains from houses or buildings with some public sewer, or with the sea; and 324 empowers the Council to drain lands in certain cases. The Act therefore exhibits no uncertainty,—its powers are clear and ample, —but the moneys to be borrowed must be expended strictly in accordance with the Act; the attempt to make a marked distinction between sewerage and drainage is sheer but culpable nonsense. The Council have had all the powers to carry out a sanitary scheme, but have done nothing; and we now unhesitatingly consider that the ratepayers should clearly understand whether there is a bona fide intention by the Council to carry out, and that without delay, a proper system of sewerage and drainage, so that the health of the people may be protected. i We have heard and read of many childI like ideas as to the best method of draining Wellington; but we will give an example. One writer recommends that the pneumatic system, at present being introduced into St. Petersburg, should be adopted, "as it requires nothing larger than a four-inch pipe, and it operates quite irrespective of level, &c." Doubtless this writer refers to Captain Liernur's system, which for the benefit of our readers—as the subject is so little understood—we will explain by quoting the evidence of Sir Joseph William Bazalgette, C. 8., Engineer to the Metropolitan Board of Works (one of the highest authorities in sanitary engineering in the world). The evidence was taken in December last year, before Sir John Hawkshaw, Civil Engineer, Royal Commissioner, &c, &c. Have you ever made yourself acquainted with what is called Tiernur's system 1 Yes. I have looked into it; it is what is termed a pneumatic system. He lays iron pipes connected with the different closets, and he has a reservoir in the streets; and he has an air pump, and he creates a vacuum in the pipes, and draws all the sewage down from the house to the reservoir in the streets : and he says that the vacuum being always kept up there can be no escape of air into the houses. He also says that he can use it, and that it is not necessary to do away with the waterclosets—that he can use it with a moderate supply of water; but it must be averymoderate supply, and it must be an exceedingly costly process. You must have, in addition to that, a sewer for carrying off the rainfall and the washings from the houses, which putrify and are very offensive; and you must have these iron pipes laid down ; and you must have pneumatic pipes to pump the offal out of the houses into the streets ; and then you have iron pumps again to pump this through iron mains out the streets, or you must have carts to go round and take it away, In fact, altogether it is so complicated a business that it will never answer. Of course, the cost of the Iron pipes, to begin with, is much greater than the cost of laying down other pipes. The Corporation of Leeds is at present attempting to deal with the sewage by chemicaljreatment, and have expended £6O, W on works &c, and require to expend £20,000 a year to effectually carry out the process. The dealing with Wellington sewage seems to us to present no serious difficulty, and the subject should be grappled with at once, for we cannot close our eyes or noses to the fact that sanitary measures are peremptorily necessary. Fever may burst out at any time, scarlet and typhoid fever have already given hints to be up and doing. And with powers to borrow money for drainage and sewerage works, the Council will be terribly to blame if by neglect or from any other cause time ia allowed to slip away, and poison be permitted daily to increase in the soil and in the air until at last with cruel suddenness many of our population may be cut off. We now emphatically forewarn those in whom the ratepayers have reposed their confidence, to use their best endeavors to avert the calamities attendant on the absence of a sufficient sanitary scheme.