MUCH KNOWLEDGE WANTED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15562, 20 March 1914, Page 9

MUCH KNOWLEDGE WANTED

WORK OF ENGINEERS.

REQUIREMENTS OF TOWNS,

Ax interesting address .on the varied duties of local government engineers was given by Mr. R. D. Rounthwaite, of Wellington, at the> annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of Local Government Engineers, on his election to the presidency of that body yesterday. "I may."' he said, "perhaps first refer to the daily work of sewerage, drainage, and sanitary fittings, the knowledge of pipes and materials generally, the various j | descriptions of joints and jointing mediums (their name is legion), the necessary calculations for velocity and discharge before any sewerage system can be designed and laid out on proper lines, and a knowledge of the infinite variety of sanitary fittings and appliances of every description. The municipal engineer must also be experienced in the many methods of sewage disposal, whether by sea outfalls, by precipitation, intermittent downward filtration, by septic tank and filter beds, or by the many other methods adopted all over the world ; he must of necessity have a good knowledge of pumping plants, air-compressing engines, boilers, economisers., condensers, ejectors, and the many present-day methods of raising arid disposing of sewage. This branch of the profession is, like many others, a specialty, and one to which a good many engineers devote themselves almost exclusively, but the local government engineer cannot do so. He has to know most things, if not aIL He has also to deal with the collection and disposal of a. town's refuse, whether by destructor, sea barges, or otherwise, and must know how best to turn the refuse of our cities and towns to profitable use, and to generate from such refuse steam for lighting and other purposes." Next in order, he proceeded, the municipal engineer perhaps was called upon to advise his council as to the best and most economical method for supplying his town or district with water for domestic, power, and fire services, and for distributing such water in an efficient manner. This branch of his profession involved a knowledge and experience in the construction of impounding and service reservoirs, dams, by-washes ing, as in the case of sewerage, a knowledge of pumping plants, whether steam, gas, oil, or electric. The municipal officer was frequently called upon to design and erect such buildings as public abattoirs, public conveniences, markets, town and other public halls, hospitals for infectious and other diseases, erect fire brigade stations, public libraries, art galleries, technical schools, museums, mortuaries, stables, granaries, warehouses and workshops, and not even excluding the laying out of parks and recreation grounds, with their lodges, winter gardens, greenhouses, conservatories, bowling greens, band rotundas, grandstands, etc. Another very important branch of municipal engineering was that which affected the laying out, construction, and maintenance of streets and roads. In connection with street works he was also expected to know something of townplanning, the laying out of streets on private estates, the removal of buildings, and the construction of tunnels for roads and tramways. The speaker concluded his address by referring to a number of matters, such as electric lighting and the construction of bridges and gasworks, which local government engineers were called upon at times to carry out. As, however, it was impossible for one man to gain a knowledge from personal experience of all the matters referred to, the local government engineers had banded together with the object of meeting each other to read and discuss papers on various subjects allied to their profession. The speaker made the foregoing observations when, urging that the New Zealand Institute of Local Government Engineers should be merged in an organisation to include all engineers in the Dominion-