The Daily News. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1901. SEWERAGE SYSTEM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 231, 11 October 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1901. SEWERAGE SYSTEM.

It iB to be hoped that the New Plymouth Borough Council will not allow itself to be hurried in the adoption of a complete sewerage system for the town. Science has done so much for the improvement of the sanitary condition of large centres of population that it is necessary to carefully investigate the various systems, so as to ensure that the scheme adopted is thoroughly effective for the purpose for which it is intended, combined with a due regard to the financial strain involved, The Liernur pneumatic system is now attracting considerable attention. Particulars are given in a recent issue of the Hobart Mercury, which says: " A new system of drainage, known as the Liernur system, is coming rapidly irto notice in the Old World, and, if it accomplishes all that is said of it, nothing could be better adapted to our needs in Hobart than this system, which deals with excreta and house slops. Hobart needs (1) a system that will remove our drainage without using a lot of water; (2) a system which will not pollute our beautiful river ; (3) a system which will conserve all the manure; (4) a system which destroys all disease germs and smells, and reduces typhoid fever; (5) a Bystem which does not require elaborate works and expensive surveys; (6) a system 1 which is within reach of the Hobart 1 taxpayers. But this is exactly what \ the Liernur syslem does, if we can believe reports to hand. It needs no ] water to work it, but can take the i house slops if they are mode rate in amount. Instead of polluting the s river, it only adds to it beautifully clear 1 distilled water; the solid excreta being | dried into the most perfect manure , which any agriculturist could wish to i use, and within a fow minutes of leaving the closes all disease germs are > subjected to boiling heat, which at once ' destroys their powers of convpying J diseases. It requires no expensive ] surveys, and connections can be made ] from houses at smdl expanse. The ■ principle of the system is pneumatic. * A very powerful air-pump at the slaughter yards, air-tight iron pip6S to ! every street and house ending in the j closet pans, and it matters but very : littie whether these pipes run up or ' down hill, a«, when the pump starts all ; excreta is drawn to the works, and j should sewer gas be formed in these airtight pipes it cannot escapo into the 1 streets and houses, but is drawn to i he 1 works, and there paseed through the ! fire. Trouville, a lovely seaside resort i in France, has had it installed for two years, and the Mayor writes of it: 1 1 For the disposal of the foecal matter and house slops, it has, during thin period, worked regularly and without interruption to the entire satisfaction j of the municipality and the public. During the whole of these two years no obstructions have occurred either in the main pipes or in the 'orauch pipes; further, the entire operation of transforming the foecal matter and houee slops into dry manure (poudrette) takes place in closed vessels, and no odour isj perceptibe throughout its conversion.'' Of typhoid fever in this town, E. Wade- > Wilton, A.1.5.1;., F.S.A., of Orossgato, I Leeds, writes; 'At Trouville, for a'

uco ss'on i.f years theie had ben; epidemics of typhoid fever, and the epidemic was particularly Savere up to the opening of the Lionur works, and, directly tliey came into operation, or a vi ry few weeks after, t here was a steady decline of case s , this decline keeping pace with that of the connto ion of the house drains to the pneumatic sewer | net. During last year there were 19 cases of typhoid in the town, 11 of which were certainly imported and the rest of very doubtful origin. Tlese was one death, which occurred wi hio seven days of the patient arriving in the town. This year (1899) there bavo been only two cases, and they are ho h imported, after inception. The mauurt compares most favourably with tl e highest qualities of guano, and sells in France readily at 58 per ton.' T<n quantity of this manure which wcu'd be made in Hobirt would be worth about ,£5,000 per annum, and would be better than any now mparted. Ir, a report, just arrived, the compan. offets to lay'down at its own cost, and without any guirautee from the Town Council, an installation of its system in Manningtree, Essex. As the com pany is very anxious to introduce i' into Australasia, Hobart could get it on very advantageous terms. W ester n Australia,lndia, and osher placjK arc inquiring for it. Mr T. W. Golds Sanitary Engineer and Suiveyor, wi h a pw.y of Engish experts, inspected the Trouville works last year, on behalf of the Mannirsgtiea Council, p.nd concludes his report as follows: ' The Liercur improved pneumatic sewerage system leaves littleor nothing to be desired.' Mr Theodore Reunert, Civil Engineer, etc., after inspecting the Amsterdam works, which take the drainage from about 170,000 people, says: 'I am now bound to declare that the results obtained as to speed of working and the absence of anything offensive are extremely satisfactory, and Amstoidam is little adapted for the application of the system, seeing that it is a level flat, intersected with numerous canals. The great mass of foecal matt6r disappeared before our ayes within five minutes, with all its gases and smells, without leaving * trace of offensiveness behind.' Dr. Thornot, Secretary of the French Government Board i>f Health, reporting on this system, says: 'We say it oncu more, systems of sewerage which u-e separata sewers of a small diameter, conveying the waste matter from, out of the houses, and beyond the limits of the town in hermetically-clcsad sewer*, and transforming them in closed vessels into matter having some manurial value as an agricultural manure, are the only systems of sanitation of the future.' In Trouville, Mr Golds, C.E., reports: ' The system was hid down at tha expense of the Liornur Syndicate, and still retained by them; tha local authorities granting them the right to charge and collect from the owner of each house, as it is connected up to the sewer, a ceitaiu sum per annum, based on the assess ible value, the j average amount b.ung 16s per house.