DOMAIN WATER RESERVOIRS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3887, 5 February 1870, Page 6

DOMAIN WATER RESERVOIRS.

The _ following message was read in the Provincial Council yesterday afternoon : — "In reply to the address of the Provincial Council No. 5, the Superintendent transmits herewith a memorandum by the Inspector of Works m reference to enlarging the Domain Water Reservoirs. From bhe facts there stated, it will be apparent that a large expenditure "would require to be incurred for a very temporary and partial benefit. It seems to the Superintendent that some methodof procuring' a sufficient water supply for the city must be adopted very soon, and that the proposed expenditure in the meantime would be virtually so much money ■vpastart," The enclosed memorandum was as follows : — "The present water works are capable of supplying 42,000 gallons m 24 hours, from actual measurement made on the 3rd inst. That clay may be taken as an average of the daily consumption during this season of the year. There m as also the usual quantity retained in tlia ponds m caso of fire, as would run through the present 4in. mains in 24 hours, or a total quantity of 90,000 gallons. I am of opinion that, now the shipping are supplied, the consumption at the stand-pipes in the city, the present private supplies, the supply to the various public buildings, and the storage always retained in case of fire, arc all the springs are callable of yielding during the dry season ; and, if faith is to be kept with the present private consumers, no more private supplies should be granted. Should a storage reservoir bo constructed at the pond?, no greater quantity in twenty-hours could be made to pa3s through, the present 4m. mains. Therefore, to givu a greater volume of water for extinguishing lires, it will be necessary to take up the 4in. main from the Domain to the foot of Wakeneld-street, where the Gin. f>ipe commences, and replace it with a Gin. main The cost of this work, and the taking up the 4m. for future use, would not be less than £1,000. I am aware that complaints are nearly always made after a fir® that there is no water, or that it is shut off, but the insufficiency complained of is merely the effect ot the 6m. main in Qaeen -street and the branches from it being emptied after the first half-hour. The 4in. pipes from the Domain aro only equal to discharge enough water to keep one hose, and perhaps two fire-engines at work at the lowest lev*l in Queen-street The quantity of water that could be supplied — if all parts of the city that could be supplied by gravitation from the Domaiu water works, being all that part north < of the intersection of ITobson- and Cookstreets, were piovided with stand-pipes in the same manner as Queen-street and other streets — and the numerous puvale supplied granted that have been, applied for, I think, would be double the present quantity used, or at the rate of 84,000 gallons per day, and would necessarily require a storage reservoir capable of itnpoun lin-j; 4,725,000 gallons, equal to a supply for 90 days, including the waste by evaporation ; that quantity being in my opinion the least that could be provided for the dry season, and would require an area of about three acres. It would also entail the cost of constructing a filter, as the area of the present one is only capable of filtering the quantity of wator now consumed, and also of a service reservoir of a capacity in proportion. The cost of a Gin. mam would bo £1,000 Storage reservoir, with sluice . . 3,500 Filter and service reservoir . . , 660 Additional 4m. pipes to supply all east of Hobson-street stand-pipes, say .... S00 £6,560 On taking into consideration the large sum required for this imperfect supply of a very inferior quality of water, and the then inadequate supply for a city of such growing importance as Aucklaud, I am of opinion that it would be inexpedient to increase works that were only intended for a temporary supply, as it will »e a necessity before long to provide means for an abundant supply of pure and wholesome water for the use and health of the inhabitants of this city. (Signed) "H. Allright, " Inspector of Works. "Public Works Office, "February 4, 1870."

Justifiable Partialities. — Lord Byron > adopting $he opiniQn of his literal y pre '6cessor, Ohesterijeld, that an agreeable personal exterior is a letter of recommendation; made it a rule, m all his migrations, io carry with Mm an ample supply of Rowland's justly celebrated Macassnr Oil, Kalydor, and Odonto — a partiality warranted by uuiform felicitous results ; for these infallible specifics preserved his hair, complexion, and teeth, in every clime that he visited, from deterioration. The judicious example of the noble poet and discerning philosopher is now universally followed, lor all travellers resort, with equal avidity and success, to those admired suatainera of manly grace and feminine beauty. To be obtained at moat of the principal stores and chemists' shops throughout the country. Application of Manures : I see one of your correspondents lays great sfaress on the necessity of covering manure as soon after it i3 spread as possible, to prevent its being injured by sun and wind. Many years ago I wrote a paper attacking this mischievous notion, and I think it was published in your j Journal. I call it mischievous, not only because it is erroneous, but because it leads to injurious practice. I have acres of land now covered with manure as dry as wind and sun can make it, and, of coumi, according to many persons' ideas such manure is worth but little. _ If in my place, they would prefer seeing it in an open yard exposed to every shower, or in a heap losing bulk every day, and when the rain comes and their land is wet they would cs\.rt it on to the ground, spread it, and plough it jn iininediately. Now, I prefer carting on land, when ife is dry ; when rain comes to soften the land I am glad to be able to set the ploughs to work at once, and am glad the land ia already manured. But is not your manure spoilt ? some will ask. I would ask, how ? What haa it Io3t ? Spread evenly over the surface, there has been no fermentation, and consequently no ammonia haa .been formed. What hag it lost besides water? If the manure i$ intended tp grow a summer crop in dry weather, the rnoiafeure in the mairqre ia valuable, but not otherwise. If thi3 very common notion of manure being injured by s in and wind be correct, thea guano, the excrement ef birds deposited drop by drop under a burning sun, is of no value, the topdressing of gras3 land- is a most wasteful process, and the manure of sheep is in a great part lost to the farm. — J. ft. Peakson, Chilwell, in Journal of Horticulture, A thief, who lately broke open a grocer's warehouse, excused himself on the plea that j fat only wm4 to t*k« tea,