WATER SUPPLY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 204, 4 August 1862, Page 6

WATER SUPPLY.

(From the Ola^o Witness.) 'I?; our usue of last week we took occasion Vmce more to comment upon the sad want of • proper sanitary provisions in Dunedin, and • pointed out that the two great essentials of a healthy city were proper drainage and a sufficient supply of pure and wholesome water. Our limits, on that occasion, would not allow us to dwell upon both branches of this important subject, and we were, therefore, lain to confine our attention to the drainage question. But that of water supply is no less important, and we now propose to direct the attention of our readers to it, in the hope that we may be successful in inducing some of the more influential and wealthy inhabitants to take up the subject in earnest, and either to bring such influence to bear as may induce the Government to undertake the work; or else, takiiv the matter into their own hands, to form a private company for the purpose of providing the city with water. So long as Dunedin was only occupied by a small and scattered population, the numerous streamlets that were to be found trickling through every little gull}' were amply sufficient to supply all tlie wants of the inhabitants. It would have been absurd to wish ior a mote abundant supply, or for a purer and sweeter water than was to be obtained from these little burn?, where the clear and uncontaminated element flowed in limpid streams among stouts and rocks, making music with its little cascades beneath the cooling shade of the dense vegetation of the Kew Zealand forest. Hut population came, the overshadowing trees were cut down, the pebbly beds or rocky buttoms were disturbed or file d up; theonce pare element was contaminated with the foul and feculent deposits that accumulate in the neighborhood of human habitations; the remains of dead animals, decaying vegetable matter, every kind a:ul description of abomination, naturally found its way to the lowest ground, where the once pure water ran, and the stream, instead of the elixir of health, became the very concentration of deleterious elements. Yet no other source of supply was open to the inhabitants, and they v.ere thus compelled to continue to use the foui anil unwholesome fluid for all domestic purpo-.es, and tiie evil has gone on increasing until now it is becoming almost unendurable. Medical men inform us that the water which Hows through the gullk-s is now, in every instance, in a condition highly dangerous to health ; that it is charged with organic matter in a state of decomposition. and that in that condition it is apt to cause diarrhea, dysentery, and lever. We learn also that these diseases are always more or less prevalent in ths town, pud that they are the worst in those localities where the water is "the foulest, and Avhere, owing to the defective drainage, it is mo-vt likely to stagnate and produce tiie dangerous niia-nnatn. that arise from water in that condition. An improved drainage system might do much to mitigate the evils arising from the gases from stagnant, water, but it could only in a very slight degree affect tht deleterious qualities of the water it*c-if, as the impurities with which ie is charged are in most instances taken up during its passage down the gullies, and before if gets into the low ground in tho heart of the town, which would be principally affected by the drainage. It must be borne in mind al--), that tlie quality of the water affects the inhabitants ol the hills ns well as ofthe vallies, fbr the same source of water supply is all that is available for both. Atiempts have been made to meet the difficulty hi some localities by sinking wells, but these wells are only shallow, and although tliere can be no doubt that the water obtained from below the surface, and which has been filtered through the soil must be purer than that taken from the streams themselves, yet it is only surface water after all. If these wells were deep and the supply wen. thus derived from underground springs, the case would he different, but even then the supply that could be drawn-from any ordinary well.must of necessity be small aud totally insufficient to supply aii the wants of a large and settled population. We have as yet only alluded to the question of water supply as affecting the health and comfort of the people, but tliere is another consideration of almost equal importance, and that is, the necessity of some proper provision for the extinction of fires. The imminence ol the danger of fire in a city built principally oi wood cannot fri I to.be apparent to the least observant or the most thoughtless, and the total lack oi* means of coping with the dread enemy, has beeu matter of astonishment to all who have given the subject a moment's consideration. We are well aware that this is no new complaint that we make ; we have not forgotten how often it has been reiterated in our own columns and those of our contemporaries, but until something is done to diminish the double danger to health and property arising from tiie want, of a copious and easily available supply of pure water, we shall feel it our duty to'still urge to complaint, and to still repeat the warning. It has uot escaped our recollection that so Jong ago as 1859 the evils to which we have above alluded were seen, and an investigation made into the supplies that cculd be counted ou for the service of the town. The result was an official report from Mr. J. T. y Thompson, to Vkhich we shall presently have ' torefer more particularly. * . We have shown that even three years ago, befbfe the rush of population, induced by the /'gold discoveries, the want of a proper supply of water had begun to be felt, and had occupied the attention ofthe authorities ; we have pointed out that the want has of late increased to an absolute necessity, and we have expressed our opinion as to the duty that devolves upon tiie more influential inhabitants to take some action iv the matter, either by forcing the consideration of the subject on the attention of the Government, or by themselves taking it in hand. We are, however, well aware that what is acknowledged to be the duty of everyone is apt to be attended to by nobody, and we shall not, therefore, rest content with a mere appeal to ihe SQiio-i of duty, bat shall now direct our remarks to arouse the more powerful motive of self-interest, in its most concentrated form, as affecting ti c- breeches pocket. Jt is an acknowledged principle in all business affairs, that the surest way to success is to supply a positive public want. This is so generally recognised, and is so patent to reason, that it is usnally looked upon as a rule that supply will follow demand. It is, moreover, found that an increase of demand invariabhy ensues upon the abundant supply of any article. TNow, as regards tlie supply of water, the case, as we have shown, stands thus, that there is an enormous and constantly increasing demand, and that that demand would increase upon a still more rapid ratio if the supply were to be forthcoming. Our meaning, we trust, is clear. There is a splendid opening for capital and enterprise in the supply of tliis demand, for an article with the use of which, nobody can altogether dispense and the consumption of wliich is invariably found to increase proportionately to the abundance of the supply. A Water Company established on ti souud basis, witli a sufficient capital, and with proper management, could not fail to be a highly remunerative and perfectly safe speculation. In. the principal towns of England the water companies are almost universally found to be the most prosperous of

all the numerous joint stock companies that are formed for the supply ofthe various public wants ; and in the Colonies the same remarks will to a great exteni apply. We are satisfied that a public company formed for the supply of Dunedin, with water, aud directed by competent business men, will prove a paying concern as a business speculation merely, and without reference to the advantages that the shareholders (supposing them to be local residents and property holders) Avould derive from the increased safety of their property, the diminution of their insurance expenses, aud the improved health of their families. We look upon this as a matter that can better be dealt with by a private company than by Government, and we have, therefore, avoided more than a casual reference to the possibility of the Government undertaking it. Still, if the Government should be inclined to undertake the work a precedent is to be found in Victoria, where the supply of Melbourne was undertaken by the Government, and the magnificent Van Yean works were the result. It is true that as a commercial speculation the Van Yean can hardly yet be regarded as a success, but its failure in that respect is solely to be attributed to the costly, and, indeed, wasteful manner in which the work was carried out, and to no inherent fault in the scheme itself. It was in fact a Government job, and as such it is no wonder that it was expensively gone about. A private company would most probably have made a handsome profit out of it. "With regard to the source* from which a company might derive its supplies, we ai'e able, from Mr. Thompson's report, above referred to, to state a few plain facts of a highly satisfactory nature. Air. Thompson, from careful observations of the streamlets running through Maclaggan-street, Londonstreet, "and Uegent-road, the Nort-cast VaUey stream, the Kaikorai, and tlie Water of Leith, calculated that the minimum supply of water from these differeLt streams, was iqtal to 4,9G5,90G gallons per day, or sufficient to supply 30 gallons a head to IG^G-iJ persons daily.* By another estimate, in wliich the j storm water was taken into account, lie rec- | koned that 1-1,800,d00 gallons, or enough, at | the same rate, to supply 4!);),">lo persons, | could be calculated on daily. Mr. Thompson | proposed to take the water of one or more of ! the streamlets iluwing through the town, and !to conduct it to reservoirs, placed in cou- ! venient situations, from which it could be distributed |tributed lor the service of the city. 1 lie did not propose to meddle with i the larger streams until the population Tto be supplied should exceed ten thousand* ! j The necessary works for the supply of a po- | pulation of less than 10,000 persons he estii mated could be constructed at a cost uot ex- ! ce-.ving .'iOs. per head, or say at an outlay of j £15,000. The appropriation of the waters of j the Kaikorai, ami the Water of Leith, would I be a more expensive affair, but still not by ! any means formidable, ; From these figures it will be seen that a \ prima, facie case is made out for the success ! of any company that might be started, and j that is all that we had set before us at the ! present time. We do not say that these I figures are absolutely correct; the estimate of i the amount of supply, and ol the cost, may j be faulty, but still it may be taken as an ap- ; proximution. It would bj of course the fust , i business of the promoters of a w.iter coin- ' pany to employ competent men to verify the : observations and calculations of Mr. Thompi son, and at the same to inquire as to whether ! any other, and po.-sibly more eligible, ' source of supply might not be availj able. It is by no means certain that it migbt | not be better to look further afield ; there is T no positive reason why the supply should be j drawn from the immediate neighbourhood of ! the town. For example, the Van Yean rej sevoir, to wliich we have before alluded, is fully twenty miles distant from Melbourne by i the rout, aud at least sixteen in a direct line. j Lot these are matters of detail, and may be | safely left to be determined by the skilled j knowledge of engineers. It is sufficient for i u> to know that tliere is water iv abundance • to be had at our very doors, and that a very I mrderate outlay of capital would make it ; available: if it be brought from n greater ' distance, it will oaly be because it can be done j better, or at less expense.