NOTE AND COMMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3728, 1 May 1899, Page 4

NOTE AND COMMENT.

A -factor Unit is not always fnlly considered by those who in-

PRpSPKHITT AND POLITICS.

dulge in forecasts as to the result, of the .next general election is the phenomenally prosperous condition of

the colony at the present time. This prosperity was frankly admitted by the Hon W. Rolleston in his recent address at Riccarton. He doubtless had the southern part of the colony chiefly in his mind ; but from reliable information, collected by. those who travel about, we have reason to believe that the North Island is enjoying oven better Times . than tho South. The past season has been tho best that has been experienced for over a decade; and despite low prices for tho staple articles of export, the, agriculturists and pastoralists all over the country were, never in better heart than they are at the present time. This condition has, of course, communicated itself to the trading and manufacturing classes, so that the whole community is inclined to take a cheerful view of things. The importance of this to the political- party in power for the time being cannot be overestimated. It may be true that Governments have nothing to do with the making of prosperity or the mending of depression; hut people, eyen .though their reason is convinced that such, is the case, instinctively blame the Government for had'times and give it credit when the reverse.is the case. ■ln Great Rritain, it has almost passed into an axiom ths, 1 ; good trade will be the rule when the Conservatives are in office. Hero, prosperity and Liberalism are likely to become convertible terms,; for there bus been ‘ a period :of continuous briskness and progress ever since the Government displaced that of; the late Sir Harry Atkinson. - When solid material prosperity prevails, the political ideas of the people a rosy hue from the prevailing colour, and,there is a to, givp an- extended lease of power to those: Ministers who have bad the happy fortune to be in office .during the good times. A . number of Oppositionists, recognising this, endeavoured for years to persuade the people ol this country that times were desperately had, hut of course fai.ed to convince people.against the evidence of their senses and their banking accounts. .Mr- Rolleston more wisely owns tho obvious truth, which will power’ifully affect the outcome of the,elections six. months hence.

The discussion nt Thursday's meeting .of

TREATMENT OF . ■ SFWAOK.

the Harbour'■'•Board wi( h reference to the possible .pollution of (lie harbour by the , Rewage from Onslow Borough at Kaiwarra raises

a question' of -oQiutideralile importance to the community... . In other places the same difficulty has .reached great proportions, and thousands of pounds have been expended on experiments to overcome tho nuisance caused -by city drainage into neighbouring water areas. In Sydney the' subject has at different times received "attention, and'last week the Water and Sewerage Board appropriated a sum of" £.500 for the-purpose of experimenting with the treatment and purification of sewage, by bacteria. W ith tins money it is, intended to construct a bacteria filter at the Botany sewage farm, and- put into operation a method of treatment which has lately proved eminently successful at Home. , A description of the aerated bacterial filter was recently published in the “Journal ot Sanitary and Municipal. 'Engineering;” irom which it appears that the contrivance as used for sewage purification is virtually tho equivalent of land concentrated into a small area and brought under control. If it is attempted to-purify sewage simply by passing it through" a filter, it is difficult to ensure the uniform distribution of the liquid over the whole area. W hen a filter is worked in this way, certain parts of it are liable to" get more work than they can do, while other porrious are scarcely brought into action at all. In order to overcome this difficulty, and bring the whole capacity of the filter into play, a novel method, of filtration was suggested by ...r Hibdin, who then held the - position of chemist to the London County Council. According to this plan, each filter in turn is first filled, then allowed to rest if nil for a certain time, then emptied, and finally left to drain and aerate. In this way the nitrifying b-m teria obtain the supply of oxygen which is absolutely .necessary to enable them to do their work.

In connection with this matter it is of interest to recall the experi-

experi— ments in manChester,

cnees of the Manchester Corporation with reference to sewerage and sewage disposnl. An application to the . Local Government

Board for permission to borrow £IOO,OOO was made by the Corporation, it being explained that certain methods had been previously tried without success. The amount of sen ; age to be disposed of for such a city was enormous, an average of twenty-three million gallons a day being chemically treated* and the effluent dis-

charged into tho ship canal. But this chemical method did not prove .successf.il. Some four years ago an engineer made the suggestion that the sewage should be carried away in a culvert and put into tho tidal waters near Warrington. This .scheme, however, which cost about £258,000, was rejected., , The Rivers Committee then determined to establish experimental filters. , The treatment and the removal of tho sludge involved an expenditure of £17,000 a year, and the system proved unsatisfactory. An,enormous difficulty had then to be.faced. The population of Manchester was 520,000, and was increasing by 4700 annually. The problem gradually passed from the bauds] of the engineers to those of the chemists, who tried precipitation, which also proved n failure. Then the biologists took the matter up, and they finally said Ilia* tho. only really satisfactory method yet , discovered of . disposing, r f seWnge was tho bacterial system. Bacterial experiments were begun, in September last, and fcney proved eminently successful. Tins is the system to which - the Sydney Water. and Sewerage Board’s engineer is going to give a trial, and it is one which,may yet commend itself to many districts in New Zealand, where previously clean waterways have been converted into obnoxious, evil-smelling sludge channels.

Tho lesson of the fire which has just destroyed the principal local TUB fire hotel and other business at John- premises should not be lost soNViTiiiE. upon tho people of John-' sonville. When a town attains such ?as Johnsonville lias, its first care should be to provide some adequate means of coping with outbreaks of fire. The inhabitants, in their own interests, should insist lipon a,water supply being provided, with a fire brigade as well equipped as possible, to be ready for any emergency that might arise.' ■■■ At Johnsonville, we/ understand, a , very slight expenditure' in erecting a dam bn one of the mountain streams would enable a reservoir to be made quite close to the town, which would give an ample, supply of water for coping with a fire In its earlier stages. For want of such provision more money has probably been lost by a single fire than Would have equipped a local brigade and provided a reservoir. There are Other growing towns besides Johnsonville that; have made no provision against alt invasion of. the “fire fiend,” and they, too, should take warning from the present disaster.