FILTERS FOR SCHOOLS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10601, 22 February 1896, Page 2

FILTERS FOR SCHOOLS.

At Thursday's meeting of the Education Board the Chairman read ths following report of the committee appointed to select filters for the city schools: —

AYe found tbat there was considerable ignorance as to the best filter to be adopted, and after making close inquiries and referring to modern works we came to the conclusion that, with one exception, all the filters now in use are worse than useless. The bulk of them are, indeed, distinctly dangerous, and the boiiEeholder, who has an ordinary filter in his home, would act wisely if he threw it out into Mb back yard and used the water direct from the tap. AYe decided to select the Pasteur-Chamberlain filter, and after making our choice submitted same to Dr Ogston for approval. Dr Ogaton was wholly iv favour of am* choice, which he described as being the only filter which modern research had proved to have any claim to render the water clean and safe for use. Upon inquiry, we found that Messrs Marshall and Sons had used this filter for •live years, both iv their factory and Princes street premises. They gave it the most unqualified praise, and stated that the water was absolutely pure and was used by them in all their preparations.- The filter is extremely simple in ennstruction. Inside a nickle tube is another tube of prepared porcelain. The water is forced through this porcelain under high pressure. No germ or impurity can pass through this porcelain, which can be cleaned once or twice a week. How effectively it does its work can be judged by tho examination of one filter that has only been running three days on our water supply. The coating of disgusting mud is ;a painful object lesson, and proves effectually that to drink this water unfiltered must render the consumer liable to many water-borne diseases, while to drink it from au ordinary filter, with the concentration of 12 months' germs, is madness. : The PasteurChamberlain filters are used in 350,000 quarteis of th* French army, and M. de Freycmet, Minister of AVnr,'reports to the President that wherever Pasteur filters have been applied typhoid fever has disappeared. These filters were also used in Feypt, giving great satisfaction. All the authorities at Home i-peak of the.filter,in question with no uncertain voice. Professor Sir Hen-y E. Koscoe, M.P., Ph.D.F.R.S.,' says: "Ordinary filters are no good at all; the only filter that protects tbe drinker from the gerrnjs of the Pasteur." Dr G. Sims Woodhead, director of the laboratories of the Royal College of Physicians and burgeons, writes: " The Pasteur filter does prevent the communication of all water-borne diseases ; almost all ordinary filters materiallu increafe the risk." The " British Medical Journal" says: " Our report has demonstrated the hollow worthlessness of most of the papular filters in use. The present 6tate of things ib a public danger, and has to answer for the loss of many lives. The demonstrated standard of efficient -filtration is the Pasteur filter, and its use is effectual in preventing epidemics of typhoid fever, cholera aud diarrhoaa."

It is a most extraordinary thing that with our .foul, if not. unhealthy, water supply there should be only two Pasteur filters in Dunedin. Thc-y are far cheaper than ordinary filtcrß, are everlasting, effectual, and essential to health, and we venture to predict that when the board fit up the schools on. the reticulation in Dunedin these filters will come into general use. For. the large schools two filters would be required of 15fjal flow each, re_.r. voirs being attached ; for the smaller schools two of Egal. each would do. In their construction and connection no lead pipes will be used. Your committee have given this matter much consideration, and when knowledge replaced their former ignorance tbey were amazed tbat the whole question of modern filtration has not been intelligently explaiued to households s. With this filter it is unnecessary to boil the water for use.' ' "'■

The report was adopted, and it was decided to get an estimate of tho cost from the board's architect of fittincLun the Dunedin and Oamaru schools.