The Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1873.

Evening Post, Volume IX, Issue 248, 3 December 1873, Page 2

The Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1873.

A FKWjrfays ago we directed tbe attention of the Municipal authorities to tbe able report by Dr Williams on tbe sanitary condition of tbe town of tfelfon, lately published in tbe Examiner, We pointed out that, in addition to tbe veil known dangers attending inadequate drainage, such *.« tbe contamination of water (of which more anon) and tbe generation of zymotic. dt.«eaaes by tbe deleterious exhalations frum fermenting sewage, it bad Wit shown^tbat tbere were other consequent perils no less alarminf , One of these we described at the time -^ tbe absorption of the or» and krr® of horrible: parasitic crenturts, whose spbere of develop* ment it in the tissues of warm-blooded animals.. Tbere is another aspect of the matter on which Dr Williams lays great stress 'It is admitted on *II sides that tbe contamination of our water supply is one <*f the great drawbacks attending the ordinary system of drainage, which consist* merely in conducting tbe lewttge to the nearest running stream. The question has been hotly debated whether a very •mall percentage of highly diluted sewage in our drinking water be deleterious or not. Several authorities hare maintained the negative of this proposition. The direct evidenre id

the affirmative seems, however, irresistibly strong. The report tinder notice says -,—", — " With regard to water, its contamination fa irremediable, and no filtration, or addition to it of wine or spirits, as popularly supposed; will ever purify or make it other than dangerously poisonous and unfit for all domestic purposes -whatever." It is commonly supposed that if water have no unpleasant taste or fetid smell, it must he wholesome. Unhappily it is proved beyond a doubt that a small percentage of the most pernicious jmsks field in solution by water renders it roost deadly, yet at the same time actually improves its taste, and gives* it an attractive and sparkling appearance. Of this there are instances innumerable. To quote two : a picnic party selected their carnpinggrmtnd on account of its proximity to a well of beautifully clear and sparkling water. Shortly afterwards all were attacked with typhoid fever of different degrees of severity, and several died, A careful investigation at Cached suspicion to this well, and upon examination the skeleton of a lamb was found at the bottom. Hence the sparkling appearance and agreeable taste had been caused wholly by tbe deadly gates held in solution. Another case occurred in London, where several members of a family died of cholera in a locality otherwise healthy. Upon enquiry it was discovered that this family had been sending to a well a little distance off for water on account oi its clearness, sparkling appearance, and pleasant taste, and an examination showed that it was connected with a neighboring cesspool r whose poisonous gases had impregaated the water sufficiently to render it thus poisonows. Professor Voelcker, consulting chemist to the Royal Agricultural Society, states that "he has repeatedly analysed I the clarified water of sewage after it has undergone the purifying process of irrigation, and in the majority of instances has found such purified water, although perfectly clear and free front smell, almost as unfit for cooking, drinking, or washing purposes as it was in its original filthy condition," The deduction from these clearlyestablished facts is obvious enough. Under no circumstance ought sewage to be permitted in 'the slightest contact with our water supply. Even when used in irrigation, after being thus filtered both through the vegetation and the soil, sewage water is in no way cleansed of its deleterious I qualities, but only of those outward ! signs of pollution which, by their i repugnance to the senses of sight and ' smell, are really a safeguard, warning us of the presence of danger. It is j but too plain that a very small quantity of sewage admitted into a scream high up its course, and long before it reaches the town in which ultimately it is used for domestic purposes, may render that stream wholly unfit for such use, and convert it into diluted poison. That tbe solid sewage mast not be allowed to defile the shores of our harbor, but should be deodorised under the dry earth system, and used as a fertilising agent, is conceded by all authorities. The disposal of sewage water is the great point our municipal authorities have to deal with. We have shown the absolute necessity of preventing its contact with our water supply, whether that be furnished by wells, streams, or waterworks. Whatever be the means ultimately adopted to effect that result, it is certain that only one course is consistent with the health of the community, which is, to convey the sewage water far enough out to sea to preclude any possibility of its return.

While our province has been squabbling over the expenditure of the sum of £50,000 on public works, oar neighbors in Canterbury have been deliberating how they can (eat dispose of the enormous sum of £1,004,869 daring the coming year. The comparative magnitnde of this sum will be best estimated when it is remembered that tbe revenue of the colony for the present year is only estimated at £1,180,500, while in the year 1870-I the colonial revenue only amounted to £935,364, Thtts r the single Province of Canterbury will this year have at its disposal » sum of money in excess of that which tbe whole colony bad two years ago. From ottr exchanges we gather tbe resources from whence Canterbury derives this revenne to be as follows : — The ordinary revenae, including pastarage rents, is estimated at £188,460, and under this head there is an additional balance of £2(?,726, On the land fond there is a balance in hand of £575,289, while *tbe land sales are estimated to yield £230,000 mare within the year. The General Government has to refund to the province on account of public works £277,0^0' On tbe loan account there is a harbor works loan of £100,000, » credit balance of £11,253, and some receipts from sinking fund and refunds to the amount of £25,200. Thns on all the accounts together the province has in its coffers £413,268, and expects to receive up to 30th September, £591,601 more ; giving it a total revenne for the year of £1,004,869. It is estimated that th& ordinary expenditure will not exceed £192,895, so that there will, from the ordinary revenue alone, be a surplus of f£22,280. This, too, after the vote for education has been increased from £10,634 to £15,000, besides which provision is made for three profetsors at the College at £600 each, £550 for lecturers, and £320 for other expenses connected with that establish' ment. Altogether, the Council bos upwards of £680.000 unemployed aad available for appropriation. Let tts see how they propose to expend it, £20,000 is set down for immigration, and £60,000 as grants tn Road Boards. The huge snm of £340 975 is set down under the head of "Buildings and Works."- The principal items of this vote are, £42.500 for school buildings ; £20,000 fot roads in the Ashburton district ; £15,000 for water supply from Matvero to Koileston ; and £158.000 for bridges over the gorges of the Wai* makariri and Rakaia, the Waipara, the Asbbttrton, ' and rivers in the south.

£168,000 if set down for railway construction, £7,000 of which is appi opriated for the line between Timaru aud Temuka, and £27,000 from Washdyke to the point ; '£11.000 for Selwyn bridge; £4G,0U0 for rails and conversion of line ; and £46,500 for locomotives and rolling stock. The harbor works are to absorb £174,160. Looking at all these figures, and remembering that the foundation of Canterbury's pros- | perity may be traced to the land fund, we j may arrive at some slight idea of the debt of gratitude which the South should owe the for the benefits deiived Udder the land compact of 1856.

Many of oar readers need scarcely to be reminded that the William Tapscott Committee will hold their last meeting at the aide room of the Odd Fellows' Hall tonight, at 8 o'clock. This is for the purpose of closing all accounts Since the meeting was advertised, the chief and second officers and carpenter have expressed their desire to attend, in order to thank the Committee and friends for their late exertions. We are informed that the carpenter's tools, besides the clothes belonging to King and b'ulton, were carried away in the ship' by Captain Flinn, although it is stated that on Captain M'lntyre arresting these men, and bringing them ashore for examination, and on their committal by the Governor to prison, he distinctly promised that the same should be taken cate of and landed here. Upon the carpenter appljing to the Consular. Agent only yesterday, he was courteously informed by Oapfc M'lntyre that he was really not A merican Consul, th&fc lie received no pay from the United States, and that all the money he got oat of his Consular Agency was a commission on ships' expenses 1 1 these facts are true, as stated by the carpenter himself , what a commentary is afforded on the late legal proceedings ! Moving the Governor to action — calling upon two Supreme Court judges to decide points of Jaw — all the legal talent engaged on one side or the other — pabliw feeling aroused to a painful state of excitement — three men detained in gaol for Sutne three months f and some of the Government officials alarmed lest they should by any act of omission or commission give rise to another Alabama controversy between the I'mteJ States and Great Britain. We understaud that further information on this subject will probably be elicited in the course ><i two or three days. We notice that Messrs Brandon ami Lowes intend to address another meeting of their constituents to-morrow evening. The ptace of meeting is Mr M'Grath's, at the Porirua Ferry, "We learn by private telegram to-day that the unfortunate little girl who was so severely burnt at Greytown on Monday evenirg has since died. She was the daughter of Mr Terry, of Greytown. A natural reaction is beginning to set in against the enormous cost of building in wood just at present. People must have houses, stores, &c, and the very high rate of carpenter's wages, combined with the limited number of skilled Workmen available, renders the erection of buildings in wood not only immensely expensive bub nnuaually tedious. People who want to build cheaply and at once are, therefore, driven to look out for some other material, and a good deal of attention *is being directed to concrete as a building material. Mr Clayton, the Colonial Architect, has, we observe, commenced the erection of a large dwelling house for himself, in concrete on Fitzherbert Terrace, and alternative tenders are called for the erection of the new Government buildings in concrete and in wood. It is thus possible that these buildings, which will be by far the highest in the city, may be erected of concrete. This material is said to be not only cheaper than wood under present circumstances but is infinitely more durable, while the insurance risk on a concrete building would be considerably less than on a wooden oae. The Education Board met this morning, bat the business was only formal, and the meeting adjourned to this afternoon, when it was arranged that a deputation should watt on his Honor the Superintendent and the Provincial Executive with reference to the Board's financial position. At the Police Court to-day, John Rice was brought up again charged with failing to pay the sum ordered by the Court for the support of his family. Mr Walter Johnston, J.P., who was on tbe Bench, in the absence of .Mr Crawford at the Hutt, remanded him until Friday, An ordinary general meeting of the Wellington Trust, Loan* and Investment Company will be held at the Company's offices on Monday week, 15th December, at 3 p.m., to elect auditors. Mr Short's lecture on the advantages of life assurance in general and*bf insurance in the Australian Mutual Provident Society 1 inparticular. attracted a numerous audience to the Odd Fellows' Hall last night. The chair was taken by his Honor the Superintendent, who introduced the lecturer. Mr Short's ability in this direction is well known, and his lecture last night was one of his ablest efforts. He pointed out that among other advantages of life assurance it actually was proved to have the effect of prolonging the insurer's life, by increasing his peace of mind from tbe knowledge that his family was provided for, and thus lessening the wear and tear 0: anxiety. He illustrated his subject by many capital anecdotes, which were received with much applause, and the whole lecture — of which we regret that oar limited space precludes the full report its merits deserve — evidently produced a strong effect on the listeners, fifteen new proposals being received at its conclusion. Votes of thanks to the lecturer and chairman terminated the meeting, Tbe choir of St Peter's, Te Aro, gave another most successful concert last night, and, as before, the Schoolroom was crowded to excess, and tbe audience appeared in even better humour than usual, showing a strong inclination to encore nearly every piece. The programme was perhaps the best the choir has yet given, and although some portions did not go quite so steadily as last time, on the whole the performance was very satisfactory, and redounded greatly to the credit of the choir master, Mr Hammerton, to whose zeal, tact, and unremitting exertions all the success must be attributed. The concert opened with the M Wedding March," from Mendelssohn's " Midsummer Night's Dream," apgropriately followed by the ?• Wedding 'horns" and tenor solo from "Lucia." The other choruses included one from Gluck's "Armide," Hatton's exquisite glee " Fairy Whispers," Rossini's spirited " Carnovale," and the favorite Christy Minstrel ditty (With solo) "Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming." The most ambitious, but at tbe same time most successful, musical effort of the evening wao the grand trio finale " Solingo errante," from Verdi's "Ifrnani," for soprano, tenor, and bas3, which was given in the original Italian, with much dramatic feeling and effect, eliciting a loud encore, not, however, responded to. The other operatic trio from Auber's "Domino Noir" did not go quite so smoothly as a previous trio by the same voices. Two bass aompt, "Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep" and

"Delightful Moments" (the latter with violin obbligato), were remarkably well and expressively sung, the former receiving a warm encore, which also, like the majority of those awarded during the concert, was not acceded to. The lady solo singers gave "Fading A.way," "Who Can Tell," and "Jessie's Dream," in their well-known style, all being received with cordial applause, and two joined their voices in a duet, "The Lily and the Rose," with charming effect. Two capital comic songs, and as many excellent readings, completed the programme, the audience being dismissed with the National Anthem at 10 o'clock precisely. The young lady who so long has filled the arduous post of pianist at these concerts, presided at the pianoforte with her usual efficiency and taste. She wa9 relieved in two pieces by Mr Raymond, the Choral Society's able accompanist. The present arrangements for streetwatering, although affording a great comfort to the public in the reduction of the dust nuisance, are not wholly satisfactory. The Dust Fiend is not yet quite laid, and there are several drawbacks attending the use of the hose in the manner at present adopted, which is apt both to frighten horses and to wet pedestrians, some of whom, especially of the gentler sex whose light summer dresses are not improved by the sprinkling, , complain grievously of their unsought sbowerbaths. A very good suggestion was made in a letter in our contemporary yesterday,ealliny attention toamethod of streetwatering which has met with the cordial approval of engineers, and which might be tried with advantage in this city. It uousists of a pipe laid under each kerb and perforated with small holes forming in front a sort of continuous " rose," through which a constant shower of spray is directed from each side of tbe road to the middle. By this plan all the drawbacke to the present system would be obviated ; watercarts and hose-men would be unnecessary, and probably a saving of expense as well as increased efficiency would be gained. The City Surveyor thoroughly approves of the plan, the only difficulty being the construction or a kerbing solid enough to protect the pipes from jar or injury. We hops this plan will be tried in one or two streets at auy late, without delay. The very elh'cient band mister of the Artillery Band, Mr K. A. Marshall, announces a suiies of . evening dances at the Oiid Fellows' Hall, the first to take pla?e nuxt Thursday evening, beginning at S p.m. and ending at 11 o'clock. As excellent music will be provided, and the price of admission is very small — the double ticket being only 3s — we have no doubt Mr Marshall will be well supported, and we hopu his effort to provide additional amusement for the Wellington public will prove successful and profitable. The first general meeting of the new Wellington building Society will be held next {.Friday evening at 7 o'clock, for the payment of subscriptions. The Ethiopian Serenaders announce a negro entertainment at the Odd Fellows' Ball next Tuesday, in aid of the organ fund for Sc Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral. The Corporation of Christchurch having attempted to force milkmen to take out licenses, the parties affected have held a meeting, and unanimously resolved that milkmen are nob hawkers, as all have orders beforehand. A Milkman's Protection Society has also been formed. An Invercargill paper stafceg that many of the wells in and around Invercargill have already ceased to yield the usual supply of water, and should the present exceptionally fine Weather continue they will dry up altogether. Under these circumstances, the propriety of attempting to sink artesian wells is advocated. There is (says a contemporary) a penitentiary in Dunedin for the reformation of fallen women. The food of the inmates is plentiful and wholesome, though plain. For breakfast they have poi ridge ; at 11 in the, forenoon, by way of lunch they have bread and butter and tea or coffee ; dinner consists of meat of different kinds on different days, with potatoes and other vegetables, and puduing twice a week ; for tea they have tea and bread and butter. On Sundays, instead of porridge, they have sausages for breakfast. A brief reference to the finances of the Institution may be made before closing these remarks. The sum of £350 has been raised by subscriptions received from the public, and a similar amount has been received as a subsidy (at the rats of £1 for£l) from the Provincial Government. Of the expenditure, the most serious item has been the £500 for the purchase of the house and ground. The Auckland correspondent of the Otago Times writes: — "The new Native Lands Act is causing considerable anxiety here. All land .purchasing from the natives is stopped by a proclamation issued under the Immigration and Public Works Act, 1870. The new act does not come into operation until the Ist January next, and meanwhile j the Government show no signs of appointing the District Officer, the surveyor, the interpreters, and other officers necessary to give effect to the Act. Even after their appointment they cannot well complete the requisite ' rolls' in less than a year. Is all land purchasing to be stopped in the meantime, or is the Government to have the monopoly?" One of the queerest jokes that the irony of fortune has ever brought about is surely Mr Bright in his new character of patron of Church livings. As Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, he has the patronage of 41 livings, of values varying from £116 to £1,470. It will be curious to see how Mr Bright turns the flank of this difficulty. The absurdity of the thing may perhaps do something towards abolishing lay patronage at least. Tn Otago the country Hospitals are supported chiefly by voluntary contributions, and we learn from an exchange that Messrs Mackenzie, sub-contractors for the Hound Hili section on the Tuapeka and Tokomai- , riro railway, have set the other contractors a good example by sending 44 10s to the Tuapeka Gold fields Hospital. They stop from each workman la per month, and intend continuing so doing, provided the Hospital admit any of their workmen who may unfortunately fall sick or meet with an accident.