THE CITY WATER SUPPLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8405, 5 November 1890, Page 5

THE CITY WATER SUPPLY.

-© Some experiments are now being made by the city engineer (Mr. W. Anderson) to ascertain the best method of increasing the city water supply, in order to enable him to lay a definite scheme before the City Council, and recommend its adoption. The operations are really an extension of the scheme suggested by Mr. Errington, and partly carried out under his supervision, namely, the tapping of a water supply in the scoria rock surrounding Edgecombe's Creek, near the Western Springs. So far Mr. Anderson seems to have reason to be satisfied with the results of his experiments. The theory, of course, is that there is a large flow of water under the scoria rock, and how best to secure this is the matter which engages attention, for with the extension of the requirements for water through the city and suburbs, and its further extension into the country, it is felt that the Western {Springs supplies as at present available will fall short, and some further source, it is absolutely, to discover. A good deal of money and time has already been expended in procuring levels and estimates from Nihotupu, Waitakerei, Wairoa South Falls, and to get a gravitation auxiliary supply, but they were not successful. Mr. Anderson entertained the idea that if he could get) under the scoria strata he would find a stream of water that would meet all requirements. This also was Mr. Errington's idea, and with this in view he experimented on the property purchased by the City Council and sunk a shaft on it through or rather into the scoria rock, and when the shaft could not bo carried further, he proceeded to bore in order to get through the rock into the clay. This, owing to the hardness of the rock and its broken nature, proved to be a task of too great difficulty, and the vote of the Council for the purpose having been expended, the work ceased. Mr. Anderson a few weeks ago, with the consent of the Mayor, adopted another plan, lie left the scoria land, but at a distance of a few feet from its boundary he commenced to bore in the clay land, and he got down some 40 feet. The last few feet was through a fine sandstone formation, and being satisfied that there was no scoria under this, he discontinued it, and started boring on the low land about midway between Mr. Errington's shaft and Edgecombe's well. This was not so successful, for after getting to a depth of 18 feet, the rods would no longer work, as the rubble choked the bore hole. He is now boring through Edgecombe's well, and has reached a depth of 24 feet, the tenacity of the scoria strata varying at various depths, but he expects to be through ib shortly. Of course, the purpose of this boring is to find the thickness of the scoria laye", and as soon as that is ascertained, he will recommend the Council to sink a shaft to a depth of say CO feet in the clay land, and drive under the scoria bed until water is tapped, and then take the necessary steps for making the water available. As already stated, the present operations are in a measure experimental. There has been no report before the Council on the subject, bub the matter is of such vast importance that it 3 progress will nc doubt be now watched with much interest.

I We have to hand the Centennial Magazine. Ibis an interesting number. Among the articles are " Out in New South Wales," by James Green ; " Back Block Pictures : A High-Class 'Shanty' and Its Keeper,' 1 by J. Charles Fitzpatrick ; and " The Revolt of Demos," by T. J. Hellewhite. The writer goes on to say that the principles of the French Revolution have filtered down to the masses everywhere, and from London to Sydney, St. Petersbuirgh to San Francisco, society is surcharged with revolutionary passion of which these recurrent strikes and industrial revolts are but truant flashes. The whole civilised worl<J is fast becoming the arena of warring forces, and of ail the days since the birth of the Marseillaise these of ours lend themselves least to the carelessness of statemanship or the hardness and heedlessness of the plutocracy. Referring to unionism, he says " It' the problems confronting society could be solved by the exercise of sheer mechanical force we might infer that here, and with the near future, they would be solved. Many of those in whose hands lies this tremendous weapon of closely locked unionism are fully cognisant, however, of the fact that mere brute force is ineffectual, and at most can only apply a partial brake ; but there are others whose conceptions, if one may judge from their public utterances, begin and end* in mechanical force. Ib comes natura' to men of a pugnacious disposition, and unendowed with a logical and penetrative, intellect, to imagine that unionism 'on a sufficiently large scale, and used aggessively, will meet every contingency and provide for every difficulty;* and the fact of the affiliated unions is proof of how widespread and deeply-rooted that belief is. Our path, judging from the temper and tendency of the Australian democracy, lies more in the direction of a purer individualism, with all natural monopolies placed under State or municipal management for the common good. Socialism and collectivism have no perceptible influence or following here as yet. A superficial observer might be tempted to think otherwise. Manhood suffrage, secret ballot, and the elasticity and adaptiveness of our national institutions have found an environment which is altogether inimical to that obliteration of the individual which truQ Socialism ; connotes." v