THE SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 96, 30 January 1872, Page 3

THE SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION.

(FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.) Of all the departments that met in the Leeds Town-hall, that of Health was the most interesting, and perhaps the most valuable in its results. It was presided over by Mr G-. Godwin, the editor of the Builder , who in his opening address gave a graphic account of his explorations in the great manufacturing town of Leeds. He specially noted the foul condition of the river Aire, the universal existence of middens, and the enormous amount of unconsumed smoke, which in the case of this particular borough, is allowed by a local act. “ The death-rate in the midsummer quarter of this year was 23 - 2 in the 1,000, very much higher than it should have been ; and yet we arc forced to recollect that in parts of the town the rate was probably double that amount, which means that thousands of persons died simply because they were placed under more disadvantageous circumstances than their neighbours ; and this destruction goes on year after year —surely a frightful reflection. It is well to remember that lessening the death-rate in Leeds, say only 2 per 1,000, means saving 520 lives annually.” Mr Godwin calculates that we lose 100,000 lives annually by preventive diseases, not to speak of millions of money, in consequence of these deaths or of premature disability in cases where death does not ensue ; and until we get purer air for the dwellers in our town, pure water, and good food, we are likely to suffer these inflictions. A vast deal of ill-health arises from the too early occupation of newly built houses; and in the suburban districts it is the fashion to plant houses by the thousand on heaps of unwholesome deposits, placed there to fill up hollows from whence the brick-earth and sand have been removed. Mr Godwin advocated, in addition to these essential improvements, a provision for open and adorned places, flower - shows, window - gardening, and other modes of fostering both health and taste ; and he instanced what has been done in this matter at Saltaire, near Bradford, where a large town has been completely built by Sir Titus Salt, with every modern appliance. The great subject for discussion throughout the whole of the meeting in the Health department was the sewage question, which, in fact, almost crowded out everything else. It is, in fact, the question of the day, and everybody felt that, sooner or later, it must be decided in one way or another. I do not think that there can be much doubt which way that will be, for the feeling of the meeting was unmistakably in favour of irrigation. Nearly all the authorities (and there were many present) spoke up strongly for it, and the A B C plan, which has a strong party in Leeds, came off but badly in the discussion. One of my great objects in going to Leeds was to see in its best form how the process was conducted: and I made one of a large party to visit the works at Ivnostrop, on the S. E. of the town, and adjacent to the Aire, into which 11,000,000 gallons of sewage a day are discharged. It is only fair to say that the works were thorougly and completely

thrown open to the visitors, and, as far as we could tell, there was no reservation of facts. First of all, we were shown into the analysing-room, where the process on a small scale was tried. The constituents of the ABC mixture are alumina, blood, clay, and charcoal, the crude sulphate of alumina being now used instead of the more expensive ammonia-alum The same formula of mixture is not adapted to every sewage, for different sewages vary much, not only in locality, but also according to weather or time of day. For instance, unfortunately for the sight-seers, there had been heavy rain the day before, which had caused a backwater from the river into the tanks, and so diluted the sewage that, it was scarcely odoriferous, although we were told that in dry weather “ the smell was enongh to knock a man down.” Various experiments were made on the fresh rain sewage, by adding the mixture, and there can be no doubt but that the flaky appearance commenced almost immediately, and within a very few minutes the solution was tolerably clear. Some incredulous sewage St. Thomas showed us then and there that a simple alum lump would do the same thing, and declared that there was not tho slightest necessity for anything else. We were then shown over the works, commencing with the mill, whei e the clay, sulphate of alumina, and charcoal were ground up with water, and afterwards taken to a pit, where it was constantly agitated by a great stirrer Here the blood (obtained from the shambles is added, and the whole then transferred by pumps into a mixing pit, through which the sewage is flowing. After a further agitation it is allowed to pass into the settling tank, where it remains four to six hours, so that the precipitated matter forms a layer at the bottom of the thick mud. The effluent water runs off pure and colourless, and the mud is pumped into tanks, where it settles. Then sulphuric acid is added, for the purpose of decomposing the insoluble phosphates, and fixing as a sulphate any free ammonia which is one of the most valuable parts of the manure. The drying shed is the last operation. There are four at Leeds, each with an area of 1,000 square feet. They are heated by steam underneath the floors on which the mud is placed. We saw four different muds in course of drying, the last and driest having a friable crumbly appearance, and with a faint smell of guano. According to the statement of the company, thej l, have sold 30,000 bags of this native guauo at the price of £3 10s per ton, and their books are now so full of orders they cannot execute them.

Now, so far all this seems very feasible and as if the question was settled, and there is no doubt but that the ABC Company believe in it themselves, for they have now erected works at Leeds, Bolton, Hastings, and Crossness, where the London sewage is pumped up. But the point now comes as to the value of the manure. They say it is worth 70s per ton, whereas nearly all the authorities declare that it is nearly valueless, and at the most not worth more than 5s or 10s. It is very easy to purify the water, but it will scarcely pay to do that alone, unless the commercial results are corresponding; and although the farmers (according to the ABC Company) are in a great hurry to obtain the guauo, much to the advantage of the share-list, we have, as yet, no agricultural advantages to show for it, as we have in the irrigation farms of Mr Hope at Romford, or those of Aldershott, Blackburn, and other places. There we have seen the fabulous growth of fruit, grass, and vegetables. At Aldershott, a barren plain has become a fertile garden ; and whatever may be the value of the A B C, it is very difficult to shut our eyes to these plain facts.