The Welcome Rain.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 129, 9 June 1885, Page 2

The Welcome Rain.

Rain has fallen at Sydnoy. It is hard for people residing in this colony to realise Ilio tromondous importanco of tlio brief telegraphic announcement to tlio above effect which wo published on Saturday, In n country co copiously watered as New Zoaland, whoro ruin fulls in abundaiico all tlio year round, people arc apt to smile lit tlio soutimont— "How bountiful is the rain Aftor tlio dust anil heat;" but there aro countries not far from horo whoro drought is tlio mo.it tlroaded enemy, and rain tho most gracious dud-send, For many weeks back, over nearly tho wliolo of Now South Wales, lliero has been groat anxiety, and actual distioss, sicklies.-", and death, beeauHo of tho lack of rain. The drought lias beon tho engrossing topic of conversation ; tho subject Imh been din cussed in tho pulpit and press j and it would almost scorn aa if every other sc-nti-ment mid iinpulso in tho human heart hail been " chilled into ono selfish prayer" for rain! Bishop Barry, IMmato of Now Soutii Wales, preachod a powerful pormon lately in St. Andrew's Cathedral, in tho courso of which ho eaid :—" Wo havo eomo to understand that tho ono physical thing especially ncodful for tlio material growth of tlio community is adequate supply of water, equalising, as far as may be, tho alternations between drought anil ilood. Wo cannot but know that for tho health and cloanlino.sg and beauty of a great city it is boyond all things noceßsary that it should bo placed abovo tho risk of water scarcity or wator famine If wo know these things and negloct thorn -tiu.sting idly to what wo call 'chance,' refusing to mako tlio nocodsary sacrifices which aro needed, enrole™ of tho Buffering and death, tho hardship and sickness which our neglect causes — then wo aro resisting tho ordinanco of (iod, and must bring down on ouraolvca wclldoaorved judgmont. To mako use of our river rcaourcoa, to storo tlio water which runs to waste, to piereo down to the water bearing strata of what soom watorloss regions—this ia not policy and social duty. It is, I boldly say, our religions duty in obodionco to tho lYovidcneo of God, and is ono necessary means of fullilling that destiny to which Ho calls us." Tho pros 9 has been doing iU part in allowing the tremendous wusto (if human and animal life caused diroetly or indirectly by tho periodical wator famines to which Now South Walos is subjoct. Some of tho rovolationsaroßulliciontly startling. Through tho .scarcity of wator for cleansing purposes, tho city of Sydnoy is in a most insanitary condition, and in consec]uonco, as Dr. MeLaurin recently stated in a paper which ho road boforo tlio medical section of tho Royal Society, " ty(ihoid foyer prevails to a most alarming oxtont, and assumes tlio gravity of a real plaguo." Tho nowspapors point out that f< r Homo timo bnck the deaths from typhoid havo been at the rate of 300 a yoar. During tho past ton year 3, 1,357 persons havo diod in tho ciLy of Sydney and suburbs from this dieenfo, and in that period 14,000 pooplo have been attacked by it. Tho present year is ono of tho mo^t fatal over knov> n, and thero is an undoubted connection botwoen this painful proominonco and tho prevailing doartli of duio wator. Within tho samo poriod, millions of sheep and othor stock havo died of actual thirst and starvation ; and these facts go far to justify Bishop Barry in impressing upon colonists tho work of water supply as a moral and religious obligation. Tho domestic water supply for tho peoplo of Sydnoy would seem to be as deficient in quality as in quantity. Dr. McKellar, the Government medical adviser, tho other day gave a sortsational roport on tho impuritios found in the city water, and a reporter of tho " Evening Nows " gave a graphic description of " the city cesspit," showing that tho Sydney night-soil id deposited on eandlills which form part of tho water-shed from which the Botany reservoir is supplied. It is now proposed, at considorablo cost, :o got a new source of water supply. Our readers will now to some extent be able to appreciate tho importance of rain to Sydnoy; and timely reflection on the superior advantages of New Zealand in that respect may do a little towards modifying tho annoyance experienced from tho occasionally too lavish favours of Jupiter Pluvius.