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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5457, 23 September 1878, Page 2

Mr. Cliiiib, tho engineer, who was employed to devise a system of sewerage fertile city of Wellington, has published'a criticism of what he is pleased to call the “re-arrangement” of his system by Mr. Clark, M.1.C.E., which appears to have no value whatever except as a piece of special pleading for himself. Many people, we think, hold erroneous views on the relative merits of tire plans put forward by Messrs. Climib and Clark. Mr. Climib was chosen to prepare plans for the sewerage of the city, his only restrictions being a limit in cost, and a direction to pour tho sewage on to the sand dunes between Evans and Lyell Bays. He devised a scheme which met with the almost unanimous disapproval of those really versed in such matters. Mr. Clark, who is \;„;i known aa a great authority in sewerage works, was then chosen by the Council to report on tho matter, and because ho poured his sewage where Mr. Climib proposed to pour it previously, a number of people believed that he had taken Mr, Climie’s scheme, had slightly changed it, and then, having “sucked Climie’s brains,” as the phrase is, issued it to the world as his own, thus apparently robbing Mr. Olimie of his due reward. Such a view is, however, as wrong as it is possible to be. With the one exception that both dispose of the sewage in the same way, viz., on Mr. Crawford’s sand dunes, there is not a real point of likeness, and no statement can be more incorrect than Mr. Climie’s when he talks of it aa a “ re-arrangement.” It is in no sense a re-arrangement. It is a new plan, dissimilar from Mr. Climib’s not only in its general principles but also in its details. All engineers and all sensible men at once hit on the great blot in Mr. Climie’s scheme, viz., that he collected the whole of tho sewage of this hilly city at a point many foet below high water-mark, and then pumped it up again ; none of it was proposed to be discharged by gravitation. Air. Clark devised a scheme whereby not less than two-thii’ds of tho sewage of this town would discharge itself by gravitation, and only one-third be pumped. • This is a cardinal difference, and it seems to us ono of the most vital importance. Mr. Climib says, “ I will pump the whole of tho sewago of this large town. Mr. Clark says, “ I will pump only one-third.” Ratepayers must recollect that this pumping must continue as long as Wellington shall exist !

Of this cardinal difference Mr. Climie, in his criticism, takes no notice, but he fills his pamphlet with petty details. He objects to a contour sewer, and says it will cost the ratepayers £B4O a year, whereas ho must know that though tho statement, might pass as a bit of special pleading by a lawyer on behalf of his client, it really is not true. Ho desires to show also .that sewage farming has not paid when managed by a municipality, although under private management it has suocedod, and he suggests that the Corporation should allow a private company to use tho sewage, yet he must know that no company would do so. Mr. Climib complains that Mr. Clark has omitted to provide flap-valves in streets with a steep incline. It is true that Mr. Clark has not provided flap-valve#, but the reason is that Mr. Clark has devised a scheme where none of the street sewers do run down steop inclines, and thereby he not only does away with the necessity for flap-valves, but he thus shows his real practical knowledge of sewerage works. Mr. Climib flounders worse than ever when lie urges the use of “charcoal ventilators.” There are no such things as charcoal “ ventilators,” but there aro charcoal trays or charcoal traps. Mr. Climib staggers us by saying, “There is no doubt that, however great “ the porosity of charcoal, there is a limit “to its powers of absorption; but tho “very fact of charcoal getting choked “ with the gases is a strong proof that it “is required.” These are his ipsissima verba. They aro fatal words, and allow clearly his ignorance of physics and of chemistry. No statement made by his bitterest foes could do him more harm than that one sentence. Mr. CLli)llE’s friends must feel sorry that he has allowed himself to rush into print. Mr. Clark in his report urges tho City Ooupcil to get a thoroughly competent man to carry out and supervise tho details pf any sewerage works that, may bo undertaken, and wo believe this to bo a thoroughly sound piece of advice. The City Council will, wo hope, endeavor to get a man who is well versed practically in all tho minute details of sewerage works, and who has made this branch of tho profession his special study. It js to bo hoped that tho City Council wifi offer a liberal, even a handsome, salary for tho very best man that can be got a( Homo or in the colonies; it cannot bo too strongly impressed on tho ratepayers that an immense sum of money may bo spent on gigantic sewerage works, and yet tho sanitary condition of the city be unimproved,’unless tho greatest caro bo taken over every detail, and tho latest results of experience as well as of soionoo bo intelligently applied. We were disposed to believe that Mr. Olimie’ s services might have boon utilised in connection with tho works; but, having written this “book,” ho has delivered himself into tho hands of his enemies, ami, we fear, put himself out of court altogether.